The Javelin
by Mister Frodo
Summary: Based on Mega Man Zero. The End of the Humans is nigh... Or so they might think. Note: I lied. D: This story is on PERMANENT hiatus, meaning it will most likely never be updated. I'm really sorry. Thank you for reading.
1. Tears

This is the end for peace.

The Reploids believed they had achieved a relative safety. Dr. Weil had been defeated, and with the sacrifice of Megaman Zero, humans and Reploids could now both live together in harmony. But peace shall never reign.

Get ready. The fall is now.

"Miss Ciel, are you all right?"

Ciel forced a smile at the Reploid solider. "Of course, soldier. I'm fine."

He shrugged. "Good. Let's go, then."

She nodded. They had been trudging along for hours. The Virdian Forest maintained a steady flow of bugs, heat, and plants to get in their way. _And you don't even know if this search will turn up anything, do you?_

She closed her eyes. Three years later, and still nothing. How did they even know he still lived? No signs, no contact, nothing ever came to prove that he still existed. Now she almost doubted there ever was a Zero.

_Zero_. Tears started to form in her eyes. She brushed them away, hoping the soldiers didn't see her crying. He had come and gone, never staying for little more than a hello and a good-bye. But still…she wished he…

The tears flowed freely now. She fell to her knees, trying to control her sobs. Alas, she could not. And was that such a bad thing? _Why? Why did you go? Why did you—_

"Miss?" The Reploid trooper knelt down next to her. "It's all right, Miss. We still miss him too."

No. They didn't understand. They would never understand. _And why should I be surprised? The only Reploid that ever_ really_ felt anything was Zero, anyway._

"But we need to move, Miss. Maverick activity in this area is very high. We don't want to run into anything."

She nodded and rose to her feet. "Yes, captain. Lead…lead the way."

So they headed onward. She wiped her tears away as they continued. _He's gone. And he'll be gone. No matter what you do, he'll be gone._

But there was still hope. She thought he had died before, but no, he returned. But could it be that it really had ended? Was the legacy of the Maverick Hunter Zero really at an end?

With these questions tormenting her, she continued the search into the jungle. All for lost hope.

And the hero who had taken that hope with him.

--

"The sun is waning, hunter."

He raised his head. "You mean it is time?"

"Yes. The fall of the humans is nigh."

His lip curled upward, the saber in his hand flashing. "And the Reploids shall take them to it."

_(Yeah, this is pretty much the shortest chapter ever. I'll try to lengthen the next one. Well, it is better than that other story I had planned. Of course, Capcom will probably come out with a Megaman Zero 5 and totally make this story obsolete, but who cares? And why is this note longer than my story? Ah well.) _

_Please R&R:) _

_Over and Out_


	2. Pyramid

_(Alright, I kind of have a little political talk in this one. But, you don't want to miss the ending!) _

Sarn sighed. "The fact is that this won't pass. Even with the majority we've gained, I doubt the Senate will vote this through."

Dr. Raven rolled his eyes. "That's not what I'm concerned about, Lieutenant. I don't care if this thing passes or fails; what I really want to know is how people will respond to this. Ever since Neo Arcadia, we've been trying to appease these robots. It's time we took a stand!"

Sarn shook his head. The idiot scientist still didn't get it. He probably never would. _And why doesn't that surprise me?_

"In fact, I called this meeting now because I didn't want _her_ coming." Dr. Raven leaned back in his chair. "Where is she, anyway?"

"On another search for Zero, sir."

Sarn stared at the lone Reploid in the room. He remained standing, even with the empty seats all around him. Dr. Raven nodded. "Thank you, Harpuia. The blasted girl! She is always running around on these wild goose chases. It makes me sick."

_Well, there's something we disagree on. _Sarn cleared his throat. "What do you think, Kyle?"

Everyone turned to the last occupant of the room. He sat at the end of the table, fidgeting with something in his hands. "I—I don't really know if this is such a good idea, si—sir."

"You always say that." Dr. Raven stood. "Well, I guess you don't want to _offend_ anyone, do you?"

"No, that's not what th—this is about." He tapped his fingers on the metal in front of him. "It's just…can y—you blame her? She just wa—wants to f—find him."

Sarn shrugged. "It doesn't really matter what she's doing, Kyle. As long as Ciel is here there will be endless debate about our proposal. And don't even think about informing that journalist. She'll take this to town and back."

"Then I believe we should go ahead with the plan _now_." Dr. Raven paced the length of the room. "This can work. And since Ciel is gone—"

"You seem to misunderstand something." Sarn crossed his arms across his chest. "If Ciel is missing from the proceedings, one less representative for the Reploids will be in session. Then by law, one of _our_ representatives will have to stay away from the meeting too."

"Of course." Dr. Raven frowned. "You didn't think I would remember that? That's why I'm asking _you_, Lieutenant, to stay away from the assembly."

"What!" Sarn slammed his fist into the table. "That's outrageous! You expect me to actually comply with this?"

"Well, if you have problems, I think Harpuia here will be happy to solve them for you." Dr. Raven smirked. "Granted, of course, that you ask." He sauntered to the doorway. "Fine. Meeting adjourned. I will see you later, Lieutenant."

He beckoned with his hand. Kyle and Harpuia filed out of the room with the doctor in the lead.

Sarn bit back the anger growing inside him. _Of course, they just had to suggest having a human representative for the Reploids. And vice versa. I mean, how desperate are you when you chose _Harpuia_ as your diplomat?_

He rose from his chair. "For every action there's a reaction. I hope you know what you're doing, Raven." With that, he left the meeting room.

--

"Wow. Just…wow."

Ciel held her breath, gaping with the Reploids at the structure in front of them. "But…there aren't any pyramids in this area. What is…it?"

The majestic pyramid rose before them, transcending into the sun. The Reploid captain signaled with his hand. Two of the soldiers crept forward, surveying the area as they went. The other three formed a perimeter around Ciel.

Her eyes moved skyward. The top of the building soared higher than any mountain she'd seen before. _Why would Zero be hiding here? And…where?_

The captain motioned to her. "Miss Ciel, we need to move in. Jacklin, Novar, cover us. The rest of you, come with me."

She followed him forward to the massive flight of steps. A large door at the stairs' apex pierced the stone wall. They hurried up to it, the captain in the lead. Ciel kept glancing up at the pyramid's pinnacle. _But who built this? Or, what built this?_

The captain pointed his hand forward. "Soldier, move it up!"

One of the troopers ran to the entryway. He peeked inside. "All clear, sir!"

Ciel trailed the Reploids into the doorway. It led into a large hall with torches lining its walls. She furrowed her brow. "Captain…these torches have been lit recently."

He nodded. "It appears we aren't alone. Stay near us, Miss."

Sweat wet her forehead. _Who's here? Is it…can it be?_

The soldiers headed to the hall's end. She shrugged away her thoughts and went after them.

A Reploid gulped. "This isn't good. Sir, shouldn't we leave?"

"No, soldier. You have your orders."

"Dang. I sure hate this." They carefully made their way down the next corridor. "This place gives me the creeps. I fill like something's watching me."

"Will you shut up, trooper?"

Ciel put her hand on the wall for support. Truth be told, she felt just like the Reploid. But they had to go on.

So they did. After about half an hour, the captain kicked the dirt. "All these hallways look the same to me. Sorry, Miss Ciel, but we're lost."

Something caught her eye. She turned towards it, but it was gone. "Captain, did you—"

"Contact!" Gun fire erupted in the hall. She screamed and ducked down. The Reploids shouted and fired.

"I can't see it!"

"It's there! Behind that pillar!"

"No, it got me!"

"Kev, look out!"'

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Then it stopped. Eerie silence filled the passage, with only her heavy breathing breaking its strong hold. She raised her head and almost cried out.

All four Reploids lay on the ground, slash marks through their chests. She choked on the nausea rising in her throat. _But…what…_

The captain still held his radio. She pried his hand open and took the device. Her body shook as she pressed down a button. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

"I can."

She slowly looked up and gasped. No! It couldn't be! _This has to be a dream!_

"No, Ciel. This isn't a vision. This is the future." The figure raised a saber above his head. "And the future is now."

_Over and Out _


	3. Falling

"Well, I won't stand for it!" Niege folded her arms across her chest. "What does Raven think he's doing, having a party! We've worked so hard to unite the Reploids and us, and then here he goes, trying to create a segregated city!"

Sarn nodded. "I know. And he ordered me to stay away from the proceedings. He knows where I'll vote."

"Yeah. Well, this just makes me hate him." She sighed. "It was never this bad when Ciel was in charge."

"But she was tired of being the leader. It was wearing her down." His hand found the cold handle of his coffee cup. He took a swig and then almost spit it out. _Next time check it before you drink it!_

"First Elpizo, now Raven…" Niege stood and went to the window. "Ciel never seems to pick the right successor. If she would just take a stand…"

He gazed at her. _How did she stay single for so long? She's just so…_ He shook his head. _No! Stop thinking like that! This isn't the time or the place!_

"It's the whole peace thing in her mind." Niege watched the traffic in the city sky. "I'm not all for conflict, but I understand that war is sometimes necessary. Though they don't always fight the necessary ones. But Ciel…if she thinks someone will get hurt by something she does, then she won't do it. It's just…I don't know, but I think that it would be better if she was our leader instead of _Raven_."

He nodded. "Yeah. But ever since Zero, she's been out of it."

"Mm-hmm." Niege twisted one of her red locks with her finger. "You know, you're risking a lot. Raven won't be happy when he discovers you're the one who's been leaking all his plans."

"Well, I'm not just going to sit around and be his pet. There's not much I can do, but you, if _you_ write something, everyone responds to it. And you don't name your informers."

"But who else was at that meeting?" She sat back down. "I doubt his little friend Harpuia would ever say anything, unless it harmed us. He's such a coward."

Rain started to fall, pelting the window. He relaxed. "Well, there's Kyle."

"Yeah, but I also don't think Raven ever let's that kid out of his sight. Poor guy. Do you know why he always seems afraid?"

"No. But there was something I came across on the web. Something about some new hologram generator that can—"

A Reploid burst into the room. Sarn sat up. "Colbor? What's wrong?"  
"Two of the Reploids with Miss Ciel said that she's gone!"

He froze. "How do they know?"

"Well, Miss Ciel and the rest of the soldiers went into this pyramid where they picked up those readings. After a long time, the two Reploids posted as guards went in to the building. All they found were dead Reploids…and a message carved in the wall."

The wind escaped from Sarn's throat. Ciel, gone? But how?

Niege stared at Colbor. "What did the message say?"

"It says that Weil has risen!"

--

Cold terror gripped Ciel. She couldn't explain it, but a sudden urge to run, just _run _and leave filled her. But her feet wouldn't move.

She bowed her head, tears welling up in her eyes. Chains grasped her feet and hands, ending any hope of escape. Her yellow hair hung in front of her eyes, slick with sweat.

She wept. _How can it be? How could he do that…just how? How can he live?_

"I don't live anymore."

Her body tensed. Her head slowly rose to find herself face-to-face withhim. Tears flowed anew down her face. "But why? Why did you do it?"

"That question…is something I cannot answer." He drew his saber. "I'm sorry, Ciel. But this is the end. And if I'm going to die…" He raised the blade above his head. "…then all the humans and Reploids will die with me."

"Zero." She gazed into his eyes. Those robotic eyes, portrayers of no emotion. No hate, no fear, no love. What was he feeling? "Zero…I love you."

He closed his eyes. "I wish I felt the same about you."

"Zero…please…don't."

"I'm sorry, Ciel. But it has to be done. The first pawns are being moved." He sighed. "The end is here."

"But, Zero…" She looked up at him through blurry eyes. "You don't have to do this."

He sighed. "That's where you're wrong."

_(I think I'm going to raise this story's rating to T. Of course, if you don't think I should, you can review. I don't know when I'll be able to update this next, so please be patient.)_

_Over and Out_


	4. The Servant

_I don't like this. I don't like this one bit._

Harpuia stared at the sunset through a large window. Brilliant red light flooded the room from the viewpoint. He turned from the incredible sight, trying to keep his mind focused on the objective.

_He told me he wants them dead. I can't do that. Kill humans? What is he, mad?_

For all of Harpuia's life, protecting the humans remained at the constant center. Only Master X could tell him otherwise.

_And he's dead. _Harpuia kicked the desk next to him, sending it halfway across the room. _Who does that doctor think he is? I thought agreeing to be his bodyguard would help the humans, not harm them._

He played the doctor's parting words over in his head: "This is for the good of all humans."

Bah! Harpuia slammed his fist into the wall. For the good of the humans? Who did the man take him for, a fool?  
_I only wish Leviathan or Fefnir were here. _He glanced back out the window. _But they left so long ago…I doubt they're even still alive._

X had told him that a day would come when humans tried to kill humans and a massive war would begin. Had the day arrived already?

_Is that day today?_

"Harpuia."

He spun around. The voice hung in the air, echoing in his mind.

"Harpuia."

He remembered the voice. Shock slowly changed to anger. "You died. You died and left the humans and your Reploid friends without protection!"

"And what if you had been with me? You abandoned me as well."

"I didn't have a choice." Harpuia clenched his fist. "When X gave that command, not to interfere, I had to listen to him. It's in my programming!"

"It's also in my programming to protect Reploids." A figure strode into the room. "But I went against that. You can fight your programming too."

Harpuia's mouth hung open. "But you died. You were destroyed in the explosion."

"Died? No. Destroyed? Yes." The figure smiled. "But I've learned so much. Fight with me, Harpuia. I know why you continue this endless battle, and not only can I help you with your task, I can give you what you want."

"You can't." Harpuia shook his head. "That's impossible."

"No, Harpuia. It's not impossible." The figure stared at him. "I can give you X back."

_Over and Out_


	5. Maneuvers

_"Die! Die! Die!"_

_"Run! They're gaining!"_

_"Back to the stairs! Protect Miss—"_

The recorder cut off. Sarn gazed at the device as it emitted static. "Is that it?"

"Yes, sir." The Reploid deactivated the machine. "Apparently one of the Reploids kept his mic on. But it went off when he died."

"I see." Sarn looked at his feet. "Is she dead?"

"Though we can't be sure, I suspect she wasn't killed at the pyramid, sir. We found no trace of a body."

He glanced up. "So she's alive?"

"Perhaps, sir. We don't know."

Niege leaned forward in her chair. "I suspect that the Remnant is behind this."

Sarn clenched his fist. "Those Reploid rebels…They'll pay for this if they did it!"

"Not meaning to contradict you, ma'am…" The Reploid faced Niege before continuing. "But we apprehended the Remnant's leader an hour before Ciel set out. Also, though the Remnant has been known to attack our refugee camps, there rarely kill; they're more of a type to take hostages. Plus the Remnant has never attempted something this grand."

"Hmmmmm…" Niege sat back. "Well, what was recovered from the scene? Anything?"

"Well, we did find this, ma'am." The Reploid held up a small jar containing a few strands of blonde hair. "Though we believe this came from Ciel during her capture, if she was captured, so it probably doesn't mean much."

"Have you tested it yet?"

"No, ma'am. We're going to do those later." He got up. "I'm sorry, but I promised to report to Colbor on this. If you'll excuse me…"

"Of course." Sarn watched as the Reploid left. He turned back to Niege. "I just think this is horrible. And on the eve of Raven's proposal…"

"Wait a minute." She furrowed her brow. "Raven does his proposal to create a human-only community. The public sees this kidnapping of Ciel, which could be spun by Raven to look like Reploid involvement endangers humans." She stood up. "His proposal passes."

"That's impossible." Sarn shook his head. "We have a half-human, half-Reploid assembly; there's no way that passes."  
"The people will become outraged about it." She paced the room. "They'll demand it passes."

"But the Reploids won't be for it. There's no way."

"Trust me, Raven will find a way." She stopped. "It's almost like it's being maneuvered…"

"Keep your journalist mind working on that." He focused on the jar. The strands of hair…something didn't seem right.

He opened the container. After grabbing some pincers from the nearby table, he extracted the hairs. He studied them.

"Sarn? What are you doing?"

He looked up. Niege stared at him from across the room. He glanced back down at the hairs. "Niege, come look at these."

She hurried over and knelt next to him. They stared at the lock. She cocked her head to the side. "It's not natural. It's…it's synthetic. Artificial."  
"But who has artificial hair?"

"Reploids. Some Reploids are fitted with artificial hair, to make them more…"

She faded away. His mouth fell open. "But…but the only real Reploid we know with blonde hair is…is…"

She nodded and whispered the next word. "Zero."

_Over and Out_


	6. Shadowed

Raven sat at his desk, hand on his chin. _So where did Sarn get to? Did I miss something?_

He leaned back in his chair. _Not that it matters. I'll be able to get the measure to pass, and even if it doesn't, there will be tension between the Reploids and humans. It's the perfect plan, and so far it's been going as smooth as possible. It's almost time._

The door beeped. It slid open, revealing Kyle. He walked forward. "Sir? Y-you wanted me?"

"Yes, Kyle." He gestured to the seat in front of the desk. "Please, sit down."

Kyle did as commanded. "Um, sir, I-I don't know about-about this."

"Relax, Kyle. For goodness' sake, you're always shaking like something bad is about to happen. You do realize that this is a time of celebration." Raven smiled. "My proposal for the human-only community will pass and then, at last, we can have peace."

"B-but, sir, I—"

A Reploid dashed into the room. He stopped, panting. "Sir, Miss Ciel…she's been…she's been kidnapped."

Raven's eyes widened. "What? She's gone?"

"Yes, sir. There…there was a…a thing she went on with a squad of Reploids. Only two Reploids survived, and they don't know what really happened or where Miss Ciel is?"

"No." He shook his head. "This can't…You mean she's really gone?"

"Yes sir." The Reploid reached past Kyle and handed Raven a piece of paper. "This is the official report from Colbor. You should read that if you have any more questions. I'm sorry, but I have to keep moving."

Raven nodded. "Of course." He let the Reploid leave before turning to Kyle. "Can you believe it, Kyle? And not a day late."

He stared at him. "You-you knew about this, s-sir?"

"Yes, Kyle." Raven grinned. "I knew."

_Over and Out_


	7. Solution

"Colbor! Colbor!"

Sarn burst into the room. Colbor stood in the middle of the space, with two other Reploids next to him. Sarn doubled over, gasping for breath. "Ciel…the hair…Zero…"

"Slow down. Go over it slowly."

Sarn stuck out his hand with the small jar. "The hair…you need to test the hair..."

"We were planning on—"

"No! You have to test it now."

Colbor furrowed his brow. "What's so important about it?"  
"It's not—it's artificial." Sarn leaned against a small tray attached to the wall, his heart beat finally slowing. "The hair...the hair isn't real."

"What? Are you sure?"  
Niege jogged into the room. "We're sure, Colbor. I made sure Cerveau had the testing machine ready. This way."

They hurried down the hall, Niege in front, explaining as they went. "We, as in Sarn and I, were studying the hair. It's not real, though it's hard to tell the difference, but if you look at it right you can see it. The only place artificial hair comes from is Reploids." She reached the door and held it open. "We have reason to suspect the hair is from Zero."

That froze Colbor in his tracks. He stared at Niege and Sarn. "No. He's dead…he died!"

"We can't be sure." Sarn motioned everyone into the room. "That's what the test is for."

They all crowded around a device in the room's corner. Cerveau entered the group. "Mister Sarn, the hairs."

Sarn handed him the container. Cerveau opened the jar and then slid an extension out from the large machine. He placed the hairs on the extension. The pad went back into the machine, which began beeping.

The screen on the front of the device lit up green. Cerveau typed in several commands to the console and then pressed the GO button.

The display showed the blonde strands. Three words appeared on the bottom of the screen.

IDENTITY MATCH: ZERO

Sarn stared at the readout. "And so it's true."

"Yes." They all wheeled around. Harpuia stood in the doorway, his blades drawn. "It is true." He smiled. "The war has begun."

_Over and Out_


	8. The Hero

"Fall back! Fall back!"

A smile crept over the hero's lips. The insolent fools, thinking some retreat would save them. No earthly power could avert the fate those humans deserved.

One of his own troopers looked at him. "Master? Should we go in to fight them?"

Adrenaline filled the hero's body. _Master._ The soldiers referred to him as such. And yet, why shouldn't they? Why shouldn't he lead them?

_I deserve it. I deserve it more than anyone. Even more than perhaps the Orchestrater. _He shrugged. _But only by a little bit._

The soldier stared at him. "Master. Should we press the attack?"

He nodded. "Yes, soldier. Attack them with full force." He grinned. "Leave no prisoners."

A roar rose up from the troopers. They charged forward, right into the heart of the filth's installations. The hero watched them go. Reploids would sadly have to die. But they should have seen it coming. No good could come from aiding the humans.

_I tried to save them. I fought for them, to save them from evil…but no. No, that wasn't good enough for them. They wanted something more. They were defiant, because of their evil desires. _He plodded forward at the thick of the troops. _Odd. They hated me._

_And now I hate them._

He surveyed the Maverick robots surging all around him. Barely what he considered a Reploid, but they actually listened to the intents of the Orchestrater. And they were perfect for the plan.

They hated humans. They hated Reploids. Now it would end.

_And I'll be there for it all._

He entered the city limits. His fist clenched. _Area Zero. Ironic. This is where the whole thing began. And this is where it all will end._

Flames engulfed the city. His troopers filled the homes, destroying all in their path. He passed a water tower, and a sudden pang inside stopped him. He ignored the feeling and continued.

He sighted several soldiers gathered in a circle and headed towards them. _What are they—?_

Then he saw it. A single human child cowered in the center of his troops. The hero held up a hand, staying the Mavericks from action.

He wanted to deal with this one himself.

The boy looked up at him. The hero froze. He remembered the face. He remembered, only a few months ago, which now seemed like a completely different eternity…

The hero knew what had to be done. He drew his sword, weighing the choices before him. What would a little boy do to stop the end?

Then he recalled the Orchestrater's last words. _Leave none alive. None._

He sighed. It had come to this. But he could do nothing to stop it.

He raised the saber over his head. The child stared at him. "But…why?"

"Because." And then the hero brought the sword down.

_Over and Out_


	9. Revelations

_No. I didn't do this. I didn't do this._

Harpuia stared down at his blood-soaked hands. Panic crept into his mind.

_I didn't do this. I couldn't have done this._

A sudden feeling of anger pierced his thoughts.

_He set me up. He told me that if I killed them, I would be protecting the humans, that they were standing in the way of peace…_

_He told me if I killed them, I would get X back._

He bowed his head. _Master X, I—I have failed you. You ordered me to protect the humans, and like the one who came with you, I betrayed them…I…I…_

He looked at the bodies around him, both of Reploid and human. _I killed them._

But those fools…They had escaped. Niege, Sarn, Colbor. The three had gotten out. But all the others in the facilities, and the other Reploids…all the other humans…

"So, you did the job."

Harpuia wheeled around to face…_him_. The one who had convinced Harpuia to destroy those he had been sworn to protect. The one who had once stood for good, but now fought for evil.

Zero.

"You lied to me." Harpuia took a step forward. "You said that I would be helping the humans…helping everybody."

"Those who are trusting are easy to manipulate, Harpuia. Sadly, you were never one of the trusting ones." Zero leaned against the wall. "Besides, you didn't finish the job. Three of them got away."

Harpuia ignored Zero's words. "You made me a murderer. Is this your idea of peace, Zero? Why are you doing this? You wanted to help them as much as I did!"

"I did. Until I learned the truth. Harpuia, my new master can offer me something that even the Reploids weren't able to give me…" He smiled. "Power. Remember our old friend, Dr. Weil? He once told me that only a human could understand how addictive power is. You know what? He was wrong."

"You fought for them, Zero. You sacrificed everything for them…Why did you just go and kill them all?"

"I fought for _Reploids_, Harpuia."

"What are you saying?"

Zero shook his head. "You don't get it, do you, Zero? This isn't the end of the Reploids. This is the end of humanity. As Dr. Light foresaw when he originally made X. This is the end of all humans. The time of Reploid has come."

"You." Harpuia drew his blades. "You want to kill the humans. This was never to help the humans; this was only to help you!"

"See it as you may, Harpuia." Zero eyed Harpuia's swords and chuckled. "You expect to fight me? Do you realize how much power my master has given me? You're a fool, Harpuia. Always were." He unsheathed his own saber. "I will give you one chance. Come with me, or die."

"No, Zero, I'm giving you the chance. Stand down, or prepare to be defeated."

"You always were too dramatic, Harpuia. But I have a way to end that." He clenched his weapon. "I should have killed you the first time I faced you. I won't make that mistake again."

"You're wrong, Zero. This time, I'm the one who's going to win!"

The warriors faced each other, one for good, the other for evil. Harpuia took a deep breath. _Well, I failed you, Master X. But I will not go down without a fight. I will not allow Zero to destroy all that you fought for. If this be my last stand, so be it._

_I won't let him win._

"Get down!"

Sarn ducked as energy blasts soared over his head. Colbor laid down fire on the enemies. "Sarn, take Niege and go! Find Raven!"

Sarn grabbed Niege's hand and pulled her into the capital building. Mavericks surrounded the structure, advancing on the Reploid and human leaders. Sarn found an elevator and punched the up button. He turned to Niege. "Are you all right?"  
"Well, if someone wouldn't hold my hand in a death grip, I might be a little bit better."

"I'm sorry, Niege, but I _have_ been to this building more than you have. I know the way better."

She shook her head. "The world's coming to an end and you're still acting like an ignorant mule."  
The elevator opened. Sarn let her enter first and then got in himself. He pressed the button for the top floor. "Raven might be in his bunker, I don't know. But they did just attack; I don't know how he could have gotten much warning."

They reached their destination. Sarn dashed into the room, Niege beside him. They found Raven standing by his desk with Kyle. Sarn gasped for breath. "Raven! We have to get out of here. Harpuia's joined the Mavericks. He killed everybody at the research facility, even the humans. And Zero's not dead, Weil may be back, and the Mavericks have destroyed half the—"

"I know, Sarn."

He froze. "What?"

"I already know about all that, Sarn." A smile crept onto Raven's lips. "And I have this horrible announcement to make. It seems that the Mavericks have been using an inside source for information to strike. This inside source has also taken over as the leader of the Mavericks. Now, you're both smart, so I think you can answer this question for me. Who is this inside source?"

"You," Sarn and Niege said in unison.

"Of course. See, I told you you're smart. But not smart enough, unfortunately."

Sarn backed towards the elevator. "You won't get away with this, Raven. The military will—"

"The military will what? Die? I've already defeated your petty defenses, and with your death, Sarn, the eradication of the government will begin. The new order is here." He faced Kyle. "Kyle, the honors?"

Kyle held out his right arm. Sarn noticed a watch-like device on his wrist. Kyle pressed a button on the watch. His skin and clothes disappeared, revealing an armored robotic body.

Niege gasped. "But you…you can't be…"

"Sadly, I-I am." Kyle smiled. "I am X. Your f-friend Dr. Raven was k-kind enough to ta-take me in f-for a while."

"Copy X?" Sarn stared at Raven. "You expect some malfunctioning clone to defeat the humans?"

"No, Sarn." Raven sat in his chair and leaned back. "I expect him to defeat you. Plus, with X here on my side, I can now control the remaining Guardians. The pieces are all falling into place. So, good-bye, my old friend."

Copy X whipped out a saber. Sarn crossed to get between her and X. The Reploid grinned. "So, n-now we can s-see what the mal-malfunctioning clone can really d-do, huh, Sarn?"

Sarn turned back to Niege. "Run," he whispered.

"There's no use, Sarn." They looked back to see Raven watching them, the same wicked smile still on his face. "If you run from here, you will just be killed by the Mavericks. You have no escape."

Just as he said that the window burst open. In flew a blue Reploid on the back of a strange winged-horse-like robot. Sarn furrowed his brow. "Leviathan?"

Leviathan nodded. "I'm come to get you two out of here." She twirled her spear around and whacked Raven. He flew across the room, landing in a heap against the wall. She grabbed Niege and hoisted the journalist up onto her mount. "Come on, Sarn."

Sarn jumped up behind Niege. Leviathan spun around and scored a hit on Copy X. She slapped her robotic pegasus. "Fly, Aztec Falcon!"  
They flew from the room out through the broken window. Sarn glanced back over his shoulder to see the government building burning behind them. He turned back to Leviathan. "You didn't kill him."

"My orders were to get you out of there, Sarn, not to kill anyone."

"But you attacked Copy X. I thought you obeyed his orders."  
"Not anymore." She stared at the battle below. "I have the real X to get orders from now."

"The real X?"

"I'll explain more when we reach the base. But, for now, hold on."

"But what about the battle down there? Aren't you going to fight it?"

"That is not my battle. My battle has just begun."

_Over and Out_


	10. The Duel

Zero dodged Harpuia's blow. He had to admit, Harpuia's had an intensity the other Guardians lacked. But that didn't matter. Zero would still emerge from the battle the victor.

He swung an uppercut with his saber. Harpuia back flipped out of the way. Zero whipped out his shield boomerang and slung it at the Reploid. Harpuia went down as the weapon scored a direct hit. Zero caught his boomerang on the return loop and stashed the item away.

Harpuia leapt to his feet, swords ready. He unleashed a fury of moves. Zero barely had enough to time to block all of the attacks. He gripped his saber tighter and slashed in a downward stroke. Harpuia stopped the strike. The two warriors met in a stalemate, neither giving any ground.

Zero grunted under the pressure. "You've gotten stronger, Harpuia."  
"No, Zero, I'm not stronger." Harpuia kicked out, smacking Zero's knee, bringing the Reploid down. "You're just weaker."

Zero rolled out of the way of a stab from Harpuia. The blades came to rest an inch from Zero's face. He retaliated, lashing out with his saber. Harpuia stumbled back. Seizing his chance, Zero jumped up and pressed the attack.

"You don't know how lucky you are, Harpuia." Zero beat back his opponent with blow after blow. "You will die quickly at my hands, while, sadly, the rest of your friends will be tortured and destroyed slowly." He grinned. "Very slowly."

Harpuia roared and shoved Zero back. The two Reploids stared at each other. Zero shook his head. "You can't beat me, Harpuia. You might as well stop trying."

"Never!" Harpuia rammed into Zero. The two fell to the ground, entangled in a mess of arms, legs, and swords. Zero punched out, connecting with Harpuia's face. He rolled back and watched as Harpuia got to his feet, beaten and broken.

Zero smiled. "It's over."

"No." Harpuia extended his hand. Lightning flowed from it, striking Zero. He felt pain rush through his mechanical parts.

Zero collapsed on the ground. He heard Harpuia approaching at a run. _Not so fast._ He spun over and swiped the floor with his feet. Harpuia went down again.

Zero scooped up one of Harpuia's swords, his own saber lost in the tangle. Harpuia grabbed the other of the twin blades.

Zero brushed hair from his eyes. The fool Harpuia still didn't give up, even when the odds demanded it. It was time to make him suffer.

Harpuia charged. Zero sidestepped and slashed the Reploid's back with his weapon. Harpuia gasped in pain.

Zero raised his sword above his head for the final blow. He stabbed at Harpuia.

And somehow, out of some miraculous feat, Harpuia blocked it.

Zero stopped out of shock. Harpuia was finished, he had nothing left. How did he keep stopping Zero's blows?

"I won't give up, Zero." Harpuia glared at him. "And you can't do anything to make me."

"I bet killing you would work." Zero grabbed Harpuia's sword hand and pushed it out of the way. With nothing left in his way, Zero made another stab at his opponent.

This time Harpuia stopped him by grasping Zero's weapon and stopping it through sheer force.

Zero clenched his teeth. _That's it._ He swung Harpuia around and slammed the Reploid into the ground. Harpuia rolled over and kicked again. Zero grabbed his foot. "Not this time."  
With that, Zero spun his blade over and stabbed it into Harpuia's chest. The Reploid gasped.

An evil smile twisted Zero's features. His enemy was dead. He had won…and now all the humans and Reploids would perish.

Harpuia tried to talk, but no sound came out. Zero stared down at his defeated opponent. "That's how it feels to die, Harpuia. I should know. I've already died." He nodded. "But now I'm back. So, good-bye." He left towards the doorway, picking up his Z-Saber on the way out. "Say hi to everyone for me."

"It can't be."

Sarn stared at the glowing, faded X-shaped cyber elf floating before him. "You died. Zero said you used up the last of your energy, and that you disappeared. You're dead, X."

"Well, yes, my _body _is dead." X bobbed up and down in the air above the table. "But I was at my last moments when an old friend came and gave me the last of his energy to help me survive. I think you remember Elpizo."

"Elpizo? He was that headstrong Reploid at Neo Arcadia. He left for the Resistance. I thought Zero killed him after he destroyed your body."

"No, the Dark Elf converted him into a cyber elf after that battle. He came back during my final stage of life to help me. Apparently, he had learned from the Dark Elf that this was going to happen, and he knew that I would be needed to stop this."

Sarn looked at the people seated around the table. Niege seemed just as awe-struck as he did, as did the other former Resistance Reploids with them. But Leviathan and Fefnir, both by the door to the room, just stood there, emotionless.

X lowered down to nearly touch the table. "We are in a dark hour. Raven was working behind the scenes, gathering up the remaining Mavericks and constructing a grand army. It seems he was able to secure funds from other politicians. He even persuaded Ciel to let him be leader of all Reploids and humans. And we have a traitor who has led this attack against all humanity."

Niege bowed her head. "Zero."

"Yes. I do not know exactly why Zero is working with Raven, but I have my guesses. Something must have happened after Zero defeated Dr. Weil. He crashed in the desert, far from here. I searched his crash site, but could not find anything. I do not know why Zero has changed. That's why I'm going to find the truth. And I'm going alone."

Sarn froze. "But, X, you might need help."  
"I can travel very quickly on my own. Besides, I do not need help. Zero will not attack me, and even if he does, I can simply leave. Besides, I have some other business to take care of up there. Fefnir, Leviathan, continue searching for any Reploids or humans remaining. I doubt you will find many. Sarn, Niege, stay here. It's too dangerous out there for you."

Sarn bit back a retort. _This isn't the time to argue. _"Yes, sir, X."

Niege nodded. "I hope you succeed, X. And find out what happened to Zero."

"I will, Niege. Now I must depart. We will speak more when I have finished my missions." A blinding flash of light filled the room. Sarn blinked as X's voice echoed away. "Don't give up. Never give up."

Fefnir opened the door. "I'm tired of all this sitting around. Leviathan, you ready?"

The female Reploid turned back to Sarn and Niege. "This base is fully secure. If anything happens while we're gone, Sarn, you're in charge. Be careful."

"You too."

She grinned. "I always am."  
Sarn watched as they left. He sighed. "Do you think we have a chance, Niege?"

"No." She shrugged. "But then again, I've been wrong before."

_Over and Out_


	11. Truth

Zero entered the room and sighed. "Another Guardian down. How many of them have to fall before they realize the truth?"

"As many as you're willing to kill, my old friend."

He wheeled around. An X-shaped cyber elf floated in the air in front of him. Zero frowned. "X. I didn't expect you."

"Nor did I expect you."

The air below X fizzled and wavered, and a hologram of the actual Reploid appeared. Zero shook his head. "You shouldn't have come, X. Now I'll just have to destroy you too."

"Destroy me? Zero, what's happened to you? What lies has Raven told you that have twisted you like this?"

"No lies, X. Only the truth. The truth you were afraid to tell me. Raven informed me of what was going to happen. You knew. You've always known."

X bowed his head. "I did know. But I did everything I could to stop it."

"Why try to stop it, X? Why not embrace it?" Zero walked from one end of the room to the other, keeping his eyes fixed on his former partner. "Dr. Light knew that when he made you he was unleashing the end of all humans. He knew that one day we would rise up and take this world for our own. And yet, you always fought that fact."

"So did you. You were with me every step of the way."

"Yes, but then you abandoned me."

"Abandoned _you_?" X glared at Zero. "As I remember, I was not the one who took off on his own, searching for Sigma's remains. I didn't leave my only friend."

"You're right, X." Zero stopped. "You were my only friend. Then, when you disappeared, I got more friends. Ciel, Cerveau, Niege…" He clenched his fist. "But they lied to me. They always acted as if they were the ones who should control the world. Why couldn't I lead the Reploids! Why couldn't I be the one in charge for once!"

"You didn't want to. You never wanted to be a leader."

"No, X, it's not because I didn't want to. It's because they would never take orders from a Reploid!"

X sighed. "So that's what it's come down to, hm? Relegating all your problems to hate speech? I remember, Zero, you were fighting for good, fighting with _us_. What changed you?"

"Everything changed me, X. Death changes people." Zero shook his head. "I thought I was doing the right thing. I…I fought Weil in the sky. I defeated him, and then we crashed. I remember being close to death, on the verge of losing all awareness…but then he appeared. Raven…Raven made me promise to him that if he saved me I would work for him. I took the pact, not because I wanted to help him, but I…I…I wanted to see Ciel again, I wanted to help her." His eyes narrowed. "But Raven said he needed me. He sent me on mission after mission, finding Mavericks. I resisted, at first, because I still wanted to see Ciel. But after a while…I began to like how the Mavericks obeyed me. Raven showed me one thing I had never experienced before…power. There have been those who say that power corrupts. And they're right. But you know what, X?" Zero turned to face X, an evil grin on his face. "I like being corrupt."

"Zero, what are you saying? You're not yourself. This isn't you."

"I would have said the same thing, X. Believe me, there were times when I wondered if I had chose the right path. But slowly, my hopes of finding Ciel faded away, and power took control." He shrugged. "I grew to enjoy my new position. Soon, I realized that with the kind of power I had, I could tell others what to do, I could make things the way _I _want them, not the way some snotty, two-bit politician wants them."

X watched his former partner pace the room. "So what will you do now, Zero? Try to run from what you've done?"  
"I'm only fulfilling what was foretold hundreds of years ago, X. The humans will fall. The Reploids will take this world, and then, our victory shall be complete."

"I know what you did to Ciel. I know what happened, Zero."

Zero halted. He gritted his teeth. "No, I…I was following orders. I did what I had to do. Raven made me do it…It's all his fault! He's behind everything! He's the one that made me do all this stuff, who made me evil! Can't you see that, X!"

"No, Zero. It was your choice, not Raven's, to follow evil. Is this the way you wish to write your legacy? As a warrior of darkness? You murdered Ciel, you killed Harpuia…What are you going to do next? Kill me?"

"I'm not the murderer, X. You are." Zero gripped his saber with both hands and held it in front of him. "You never told me the truth. You were afraid that if I found out, I would become stronger than you! You were always trying to be better than me! You want me to lose this, don't you!"

"You're twisting it, Zero. But it doesn't have to be this way." X held out his hand. "Come with me. We can fight Raven and end this! I can help you!"

"I turned away from help a long time ago, X." Zero pulled his sword back. "Sorry, but this is the way it has to be. I can't let you get in the way."

"So it's true. You really are fighting for Raven. Then if that's the way it has to be, Zero, so be it."

"It's time we ended this!" Zero charged at X. The cyber elf vanished just as Zero reached him. Zero let out a roar of anger. "I will destroy you, X! You can't stop me! I will destroy you!"

X watched from a dark corner as Zero slunk against the wall. "Sorry, Zero. But I have other business to take care of here." And with that, he teleported out of the room.

_Over and Out_


	12. Dream

"Niege!"

Sarn rushed out into the middle of the battlefield. He could just see her, cut off from the rest of the forces. A dark figure with a sword had her pinned against the cliffside. Sarn raced towards her. "Niege! I'm coming! Niege!"

The dark figure raised his sword. Sarn ran as fast as he possibly could, but Niege just seemed to get farther and farther away.

The dark figure let his blade fall. Sarn gasped as Niege collapsed to the ground. He tried to shout, but no words would come out of his throat.

Then he woke up.

The sun filtered in through the windows, casting shadows across the room. Niege entered to find Sarn already there, sitting on a bench and wrapped in a cloak to keep warm. She herself shivered as a cold breeze blew through the room.

Sarn nodded at her. She strolled over to him and took a seat by him on the bench. He turned to the window. "It's a nice place up here."

"Yeah." They sat in silence for a while. Niege rubbed her hands together, trying to create some heat. "So, how are you doing?"

He looked her in the eyes. "My mentor and friend is trying to kill me, the world's coming to an end, and Zero is evil. I'm not exactly peachy."

"I would guess so." She curled her hair around her finger. "But you look depressed. At least, more depressed than you were yesterday."

He sighed. "Eventually we'll have to fight them, Niege. We'll have to fight them, and when we do…I don't think we can win."

"But that's not what's bothering you."

He shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." They stayed silent for another few minutes. She clasped his hand in hers. "If something's wrong, Sarn, you can tell me."

"I had a dream." He bit his lip and looked away. "It...it wasn't a good dream."

"That's kind of obvious." She scooted closer to him. "What happened in the dream?"  
"Well, I…"

The door to the room opened. They both glance up to see a Reploid soldier in the doorway. The trooper stepped back into the hall. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was interrupting something. I'll come back later."

"No, soldier, it's okay." Niege stood. "What's happening?"  
"Fefnir and Leviathan have both returned from their missions, ma'am. They want you and Sarn to meet them in the strategy room."

"Of course, trooper. We'll be right there."

The Reploid left. Niege turned to Sarn. "We'll talk about this later. Okay?"

"Okay."

And with that, the two of them exited the room and headed towards the strategy chamber.

X let his mind drift as he floated high above the former government headquarters, now Raven's base of operations. His conversation with Zero gave him a lot to think about.

_He really has changed. Well, then I'll have to change too. But first I need some way to fight them. If I use too much of my cyber elf power, I'll be useless. _He flew downwards towards the building below. _And I know the perfect place to find a body._

He stopped in mid-air. He concentrated on the interior of Raven's new base, and with a flash, he teleported into one of the structure's many rooms. _Now if I can just find him…_

He spotted his target in the next room. Gliding as if he didn't have a care in the world, he entered the large chamber. His "perfect" replica stood by himself, staring at the wall.

X moved beside his copy. "Hm. I must say, this is definitely an interesting wall."

"What?" Copy X wheeled around. He froze when he saw X's cyber elf. "Oh. It's yo-you."

"Well, not exactly me. It's been a long time since we last talked. I'm surprised to see your still around."

"After I exploded when f-fighting Zero, Raven found m-my data and rebuilt me."

X stared at his clone. "So? Aren't you going to attack me?"

He sighed. "No. I kno-know what Raven wants. As soon as th-this is over, he's g-going to destroy m-me. I'll be useless t-to him."

"Sarn told me that you were masquerading as a human."

"Y-yes. I was hiding with Ra-Raven. He didn't want anyone knowing abou-about me, so he built a hol-hologram projector so I could pretend to b-be his assistant."

X bobbed up and down. "Yes, I would suspect so. Why did he want you in the first place?"

"I was supposed to lure the Guar-Guardians, but Zero k-killed Harpuia and Fefnir and Le-Leviathan are with yo-you. M-my purpose is over."

"I see. So, can I have your body?"

Copy X shrugged. "I-it serves me no pur-purpose. You can have it."

"Great. Oh, and Copy X?"

"Y-yes."  
"Thank you."

"You-you're welcome." The Reploid took a deep breath. "Perhaps now I c-can rest in peace."

"That's what we all want, my friend. That's what we all want."

_Over and Out_


	13. Plans

"The weak points of the fortress are here and here." Fefnir pointed to the two spots highlighted on the map on the computer of the table. The others stood around the computerized display. "This is where Raven has the least amount of defenses. If we can draw his forces out with a diversion, these two spots will be wide open. That should allow a small group of soldiers to sneak into the fortress."

Sarn nodded. "I see. But, how can we be sure the forces will leave the two spots?"  
"We'll send almost everything we have up the middle. Raven will think we're launching one final assault. And he knows that even if we sneak in, there's little chance we'll be able to defeat him. He'll have Zero with him."

Niege furrowed her brow. "Something just doesn't seem right. It could be a trap."  
"Yeah, or it could be our only shot at winning this thing." Fefnir glared at her. "If you have a better idea, little missy, than just step up and say it."

"I'm not saying that I have a better idea. I'm just saying that this is a big gamble."

"Well we're not exactly in a good position to do things rationally. So, unless you want to come up with a plan yourself, I suggest you shut up."

Sarn watched as the Fefnir and Niege locked eyes. Fefnir took a step forward. Leviathan crossed in between the two. "Listen to me, both of you. This isn't what we need right now. We're the last hope for the world. It's not going to help if you're at each other's throats. We'll only have one shot at this. At the end of the week Raven will unleash his army on the rest of the humans and Reploids. So if you want to stop him, quit arguing and work together!"

Niege nodded. "You're right. I apologize, Fefnir."  
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you better." Leviathan shot him a piercing look. He sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry too. Now can we get back to planning this thing?"

"That would be a good idea."

They wheeled around to face the doorway. Copy X stood there. Fefnir raised his weapon. "Copy X! I know your lies! Don't think you can win me over!"

"Calm down, Fefnir. I'm not Copy X, it's me. The real X."

Niege raised her eyebrows. "Yes, you say that. But how can we be sure?"  
"Well, I knew where this base was. Copy X didn't know that."  
"But you're body is exactly like Copy X."

"That's because this _is_ his body. He gave it to me. Plus, I know what really happened to Zero." A shadow fell over his face. "I know the truth."

Fefnir kneeled on the ground. "Master X. Please forgive me for mistaking you for one you were not."

"It's all right, Fefnir. I'm glad you were not fooled as you always were." X strode into the room. "I got Copy X's body when I infiltrated Raven's fortress. I tried to find out more about his plans, but his guards found me. Trying to use me as a spy won't work. But I did meet with Zero."

Fefnir growled. "That traitor! He deserves a painful death!"

"I am afraid, Fefnir, that Zero is merely a pawn in a larger game of chess. Raven gave him the one thing that can corrupt anyone, even a Reploid: Power. Power corrupted Elpizo, it corrupted Raven, and, in the end, it corrupted Zero as well." X circled a mountainous spot on the map with his finger. "You see, this is where Raven is really not going to have anything to protect. Those two weak spots are a trap; if you attack there, he has backup forces that will cave in and close out the holes. But if we plan two feints, one at the head of his forces and one at the weak points, we can draw him out enough so a small group can sneak in through the mountains."

Fefnir nodded. "An excellent plan, Master X."

Niege raised her eyebrows at him. "Why didn't you agree with me when I said it could be a trap?"

"Because you're not X."

"Yes, but she is smart." X pressed a button on the table, deactivating the map. "That's why I'm placing her in charge of the troops when we attack."

Fefnir and Niege gaped at him. "What?"  
"I'll be sneaking into the fortress along with Fefnir, Leviathan, and some soldiers. Someone else has to command our forces while I'm gone."

Niege shook her head. "X, I'm not a general."

"Well I'm not a savior. Sometimes you have become something you aren't. It's called life." He turned to Leviathan. "Leviathan, make sure a land tank is ready for us by tomorrow. Fefnir." The Reploid saluted as X faced him. "I need you to assemble a fighting force to go with us. Niege, Sarn, I'll give you your orders in the morning. Right now I'm going to rest."

Niege furrowed her brow. "I thought Reploids don't get tired."

X let a small smile. "Well…" He crossed to the door. "You thought wrong. I'll see you in the morning."

He left, followed by Leviathan and Fefnir. Niege looked at Sarn. "Sarn, tell me honestly. Do you really think we have a chance to win?"

"No." He shrugged. "But hey, I've been wrong before."

_Over and Out_


	14. Raven

A sun set on the former government capital building. Brilliant gold light streaked into the dark room. Raven got up from his desk. He strolled to the window and surveyed the world.

_His _world.

He glanced down at the object in his hands. A single doll, crafted by hand, made by Ciel herself. A Reploid used to carry it. Raven recalled meeting the small girl, seeing her shy smile, her blonde hair…

He bowed his head. How long did he expect the game to last? X would come with a final charge at his forces. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, two sides would begin the last battle.

He already knew the outcome. So did X. Raven would win, and then go on to rule the world as he desired.

The question Raven asked himself, though: Did he want to win?  
He remembered being tutored by Weil himself, slaving away at a way to create something that would allow to live forever. The formula never became perfected, but they got close enough to ensure that both would live for hundreds of years. Then Zero came along, sweeping away all of Weil's defenses. He eventually destroyed the man himself. Raven saw the Ragnorak plunge from the sky and crash into the desert.

At first he felt anger towards Zero. The Reploid had ruined everything Raven worked so hard to obtain. But then he realized that Zero held a power that could not be measured. If Raven could control that power, he could do anything.

So he set out to recruit Zero. The Reploid did not want to come at first. But Raven wouldn't take no for an answer. He slowly worked his way underneath Zero's skin, showing him all the power he could have. Raven doubted the method would work, but then he started telling the Reploid lies: Ciel had forgotten him. Harpuia hated him. The humans identified him as the killer of X and banished any mention of him from the world.

Raven always was a good liar. And, even for a Reploid of his stature, Zero was very, very gullible.

So the alliance began. Zero joined forces with him in tracking down Mavericks for a gigantic army. Raven hid the army, and they waited.

A sharp whistle brought Raven from his thoughts. He looked over at a barren tree growing outside. A single bird stood on one of the branches, chirping. Raven stared at it, sadness and anger creeping into his mind.

How far did he plan to take it? With the next battle his victory would be final and complete. But where would that get him?

Weil had told him that power was the answer. But now that Raven had it, all he felt inside was a big hole.

A hole even power could not fill.

Maybe he had missed something. Maybe something had slipped through his fingers as he tightened his grip on the world. Or maybe he hadn't missed something.

Maybe power wasn't the answer.

He glanced back down at the doll in his hands. A crude item. But what could it give a small robot that power could not give him?

Before he could come up with an answer, his desk beeped. He slumped to his chair and activated the communication device. "Raven here."

_"Sir, we have just picked up large readings on our scanners. It looks like X is making his final assault."_

"Prepare the forces. Every soldier on the front line."

_"As you wish, sir."_

The radio cut off. Raven gave one last look to the tiny doll. Then he dropped the toy on the floor and dismissed it from his mind.

He had work to do.

_Over and Out_


	15. Last Sunset for Man

"Master."

Zero flinched. He once loved the title of master; he loved being the one who ruled over all others. But now…

Now it made him sick.

He turned from the sunlit window to face the Maverick soldier. The animal-like robot stood in hall. Its girth filled most of the corridor. "Master, we have picked up large readings on our scanners. It appears the Reploids are massing one last attack."

Zero nodded. He looked backat the dying sun, its last strains streaking across the horizon. "Has the Orchestrater been informed?"

"Yes, master."

"Good." Zero kept his gaze on the sunset. "They will attack in the morning. Ready the troops."

"Yes, master." The soldier left.

Zero sighed as the Maverick's massive footsteps faded away. "The sun sets for the last time on Man. May your fight be a good one, X." He spun around on his heel and headed towards the door. "I have one last thing to do."

Sarn gazed at the still-burning buildings in the distance. _I guess Mavericks don't put out fires. _ Only one untouched structure remained: The Government Capital Building. Or, as it was now called, Raven's Fortress.

Sarn looked back at the Reploid and human encampments. The few human soldiers dozed in the tents while the Reploids kept watch. Niege stood arguing with Fefnir. Memories of his dream from the night before flashed in his mind. He blinked in an attempt to clear the dark thoughts from his mind, but he failed. All he could see was Niege being cornered by a dark figure with a sword.

He clenched his fist. He knew who the dark figure was.

"Something bothering you?"

He glanced up, startled. Leviathan leaned against the tent next to him, her rod resting next to her. "You look troubled."

"Well…" _Why should I talk to her? _Sarn turned away. _She can't understand my problem. She never will._

"Well what?" She scooted closer to him. "You don't mask your feelings well, Sarn."

He looked back at her. "What?"

"I can tell. You think I don't understand anything about what you think." She ran her fingers along her spear. "And you're probably right. Being a Reploid…It seems like sometimes we can't comprehend what's going on." She glanced over at Niege. "You like her, don't you?"

Sarn straightened up. "Uh, well, uh…"

"I'll take that as a yes." She smirked. "That's the thing I don't get about you humans. You can't just come out and tell the truth."

"And Reploids always tell the truth no matter what?"

Her smile disappeared. She turned away. "Most of the time."

He raised his eyebrows. "Now who's the one having trouble masking their feelings?"

She wheeled around and glared at him with an intensity he'd never seen before from a Reploid. "You don't know what it's like to use the one you love, and don't act like you do."

She stomped away. Sarn sighed. "You're right. I don't know what it's like to use the one I love." He looked back at Niege, still talking with Fefnir. "But I will."

Niege finished her conversation and crossed over to Sarn. She smiled. "Hi."

He nodded. "Hi."

She plopped down on the ground and wiped her brow. "I don't know what X was thinking when he decided I should lead the soldiers into battle."

"He wants a human doing it. And I'm leading the troopers going into the second diversion." He put a hand on her shoulder. "You're going to do fine."

She stared at the ground. Sarn furrowed his brow. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm not afraid I'm going to die." She gazed into his eyes. "I'm more worried about you."

He bit his lip. He had no words for her, no consolation. He wanted to tell her about his dream, that he loved her more than anything in the world. But the words wouldn't come out.

So, with all he could say to her, all he could tell her, he simply offered a fake smile and the condolence, "I'll be careful." And with those words, he left her to visit X.

And he fought back tears the whole walk to X's tent.

Fefnir watched Niege bow her head and walk away. He shook his head. _That Sarn doesn't even know how to deal with his feelings… _He glanced back at the red sunset casting light across the campsite. _Why doesn't he just tell her?_

Out of the corner of his eye Fefnir caught a small blur of blue. He turned around to see Leviathan sitting by one of the tents, sulking. He sighed. _She's suffered to much for a Reploid as good as her…She's been like this since Zero killed Harpuia…_

The thought of Zero brought feelings of anger to his mind. He clenched his fist. _Zero. I couldn't beat you before. And now this is the price we pay. I swear, if we meet again, I'll—_

_"What? Are you going to kill me?"_

Fefnir stopped. He heard the voice, but couldn't tell where it was coming from. But he knew the identity of the speaker.

_"Don't say anything. I'm communicating with you through an electronic link. I can hear your thoughts."_

Fefnir tensed. _Why should I listen to you?_

_"Because, I know how to defeat Raven. You can't win, Fefnir. You know it, X knows it, everyone knows it. But I can't live like this anymore. I can get you in the fortress, you can kill Raven, and I can get away. Everyone wins."_

A sudden spring of hope burst into Fefnir's mind. Finally, a way to defeat Raven! But doubt smothered the hopeful sentiment in a few seconds. _How can I trust you?_

_"Do you think I like doing this? I used to, but now I've become useless to Raven…I'm just another one of his toys. Once the battle's over, he'll get rid of me. I'm too powerful for him to keep. I need him to lose. And the only way he'll lose is if you can corner him, one-on-one."_

Fefnir shook his head. _Why contact me then? Why not X? He's more powerful than me._

_"X will just try to convince me to come back. I know you won't waste time with that. You can beat Raven, anyway. Without his guards, or me, he's useless."_

A battle of conscience began in Fefnir's mind. Should he do it? Risk a trap for hopes of defeating Raven? As he pondered the decision, Zero spoke again.

_"One more thing, Raven. If you tell X, or anyone for that matter, about this, I'll call the whole thing off. I can read your thoughts, after all. If you want to win the war, meet me at the outskirts of Area Zero at sundown. You're a smart Reploid, Fefnir. Don't let your commitment to X get in the way of your decision."_

Fefnir closed his eyes. What would he do? _What would X do? What would Harpuia do?_

He checked himself. _No. I doesn't matter what they would do. What really matters is, what am I going to do?_

And deep down, in his heart, he already knew the answer.

_Over and Out_


	16. Before the Battle

_Hi, everybody! It's me, the author. Mister Frodo. I know that I haven't done an introduction to a chapter since, well, a long time ago, but I decided to, considering how long it's been since I last updated this thing._

_First off, I would like to extend an apology to all fans of this fic. I shouldn't have made everyone wait six months for an update. Please, I don't even know if anyone's still interested after all of that time. Ah well. I guess I deserve it. But I do have excuses. Here's what happened: In October of 2006, I posted the fifteenth chapter of The Javelin. I was curious as to what path the story would take until the conclusion (which I've already thought out.) Then two things happened that distracted me from writing._

_First, the computer I was using broke down. This wasn't that big of a deal, because unlike some of my other stories, I hadn't started new chapters of The Javelin before the computer stopped working. So it wasn't that bad. I just had to move. The second thing that happened, though, was that I joined NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month, and spent my November days happily typing away at a 50,000 word novel. I got 50,000 words. Then I remembered my fan fics. Sadly, in the confusion of the next few months, The Javelin got lost._

_I was busy from December to March. With basketball, baseball, and school crowding me, I rarely got time to write. When I did, I didn't spend it on The Javelin. (My fault.) I started the sixteenth chapter, and got the first section written, but I wasn't focusing on that story. Well, things have changed. I am now, for the moment, concentrating on The Javelin. I want to wrap up the storyline in the next five or so chapters. (The story will have no less than 20 chapters but no more than 25, hopefully.)_

_So, the plot has taken shape. Even as I give this apology/excuse, I think about how I'm going to end the storylines of Fefnir, Leviathan, Raven, Sarn-Neige, and, of course, the all-important Zero vs. X. What will happen? When the dust settles, who will walk away? Will good win, or evil?_

_Thank you for reading the first fifteen chapters of this story. Hopefully the conclusion will be better than what has come before. May the Force be with you. Whatever. Now, enjoy chapter 16!_

_(Author's Note: In all the previous chapters Neige's name had been misspelled as "Niege." This has been corrected for this chapter and onward. Hopefully.)_

The sun set.

Zero peered over the edge of the cliff, viewing the clear, cold landscape below. For a moment he contemplated jumping. What harm would it cause? It would only help the world to rid it of his presence.

He shook his head. _No. You came out here with a plan. You're going to follow through with that plan. No matter what._

He sighed. "I only wish I felt that way," he whispered to himself.

With those soft words, he strode away from cliff edge and towards the destiny that awaited him.

---

X considered cursing. After over a hundred years on the Earth, he had learned almost every cuss word ever created. Had he been younger, he most surely would have vented his frustration with a verbal rant. But, since he was now older, wiser, and trying to set a good example for his army, he decided against it.

Though he could sure use something to calm him down now.

The Reploid soldier stood on the sandy ground, a rifle in his hands. "I'm sorry, sir, but he's gone. We've searched the entire camp."

X nodded. "Did he leave some sort of message saying _why_ he left?"

"Um…I'm not sure, sir. Let me go ask around."

The trooper departed. X sighed. _Fefnir… This isn't like you to run off on your own like this… At least not when I'm around. And when we have a war going on._

Leviathan strode up from the camp. "I heard. What are we going to do? Idiot… He shouldn't risk our survival for some foolish—"

X held up his hand, silencing the Reploid. "We're going to continue with our plan, Leviathan. Just without Fefnir."

"But X…"

Again, he held up his hand. "No. We can't wait. And we can't afford to give up any men on a scout mission. Or women," he added. "You're coming with me. We're taking soldiers and going. 2300. Be ready."

"We're leaving in five hours? And at night?"

"We'll be ready. And we need the element of surprise if we're going to defeat Raven." X pointed at the artillery tanks positioned at the rear of camp. "I've programmed the tanks with night ops. They won't expect an attack at dark."

Leviathan nodded. "Of course. But, sir, there was something else…"

He sighed. "Neige is in charge of the forces, Leviathan. That's final."

"But, sir, she's a pacifist. She doesn't know how to—"

"She's smarter than you think." X started heading towards one of the larger tents. _I need to run through some briefs with Neige anyway. _"I don't have any one else, Leviathan. At least, not anyone I trust," he muttered to himself.

---

Fefnir paced along the trail of grass. Area Zero, former human paradise. Now a cemetery. Not a single building lay untouched. The dead littered the ground. Fefnir ignored it all. _I wish Zero would get here faster. _He kicked aside a charred chunk of steel. _This place… _

"Looking for me?"

Fefnir spun around. Even in the gathering darkness he could make out the red figure approaching him. He frowned. "Zero. You know, I'm disappointed in you."

"Well, who wouldn't be?" The Reploid gave a humorless chuckle. "I murdered Ciel, I killed Harpuia… I just whop off X's head and I've got the complete set, right?

Fefnir held up two fingers. "Two Guardians down. Though, you know, that time with Shadow had a bit more, what's the word I'm looking for… _honor _to it."

"I don't honor anything anymore." Zero came fully into view. His golden hair flapped gently in the soft breeze. "I'm about as dead as you can get, about as far in as you can go. But I've had enough, Fefnir. I'm ending it tonight."

"Good for you." Fefnir glanced around. "So, how do we get there? I don't suppose you brought a shuttle with you?"

"No, we're transferring in. I've rigged it so we'll be inside the building. We'll have to go a little ways to get to the top. Might run into security. They won't be a problem. I'll deal with them. Once we get to the capital room, we'll take Raven together. No way he can deal with both of us."

Fefnir rolled his eyes. "Let's just get this over with, then. Are we going?"

"Not yet. I'm going to wait till your friends attack. We'll go then. Fewer guards."

"Whatever you say." _He's evil. _Fefnir plopped down on the ground. _So evil. What could make him like this? He always was such a do-gooder. I just don't understand._ "You know, Zero, even when we used to fight, back when we were on opposite sides… Even then I still liked you more than I do now."

"Doesn't surprise me." The Reploid turned his back to Fefnir. "I'll be back. Stay here. Not like you have anywhere else to go."

Zero left, fading into the night. Fefnir nodded. "So true, Zero. So true."

_Over and out_


	17. Second Thoughts

_I apologize for taking so long to post this. In turns of planning out the plot, I have the next few chapters down. The story should end with chapter 22. I have changed my ending from what it originally was, so I may post an "Alternate Ending" chapter too. Hope you enjoy the finale! We only have a few more chapters to go._

"We're ready." Bacar watched as his fellow soldier Mark loaded the last weapons crate into the rear of the transport shuttle. He turned to X. "That should do it, sir."

The blue Reploid ignored him, lost in thought. Not wanting to anger to his commander, Bacar decided against yelling at X. _Not exactly the best idea, even if he is friendlier than that Harpuia. _"Sir? Is something wrong?"

X closed his eyes for a moment. "It's nothing, soldier. Nothing." He reopened his eyes and surveyed the loaded shuttle. "This is one with the cloaking device, correct?"

"Yes, sir." Bacar nodded at the vehicle. "She's all ready to go."

"Good. We're leaving in an hour."

The Reploid commander turned and disappeared into the night. Mark followed him. Bacar leaned against the shuttle's outer hull. Darkness never seemed to bother him; of course, it didn't bother that many Reploids to begin with. _I wonder why X picked me. _Bacar pulled out his gun and began to inspect it one last time. _He said that with Fefnir gone, they needed another soldier. But_ _I'm just another Reploid soldier. But considering that about ninety percent of us got killed off by the Mavericks, there wasn't really a large field to choose from._

He ticked off the names. _Sento, Rodree, Dave, Newarc… All good soldiers. All gone. And please, that's just the beginning. Even Colbor… I can't believe they got him too._

He turned his automatic rifle over. Oil stains and rust streaked across the weapon's bottom. He removed a cloth from his belt and began scrubbing away at the grime. _We've been through a lot, buddy. But we have one more mission. One last operation._

_Do or die._

--

"What's taking so long, Zero?"

Fefnir flicked some flakes of mud off his wrist. _We've been waiting for at least five hours. Can't they just attack already?_

He glanced at the Reploid, all depressed and moody. "Zero, what's taking so long? I bet Raven's flattened the entire army by now!"

The Reploid kept his back to Fefnir. "It's been thirty minutes, Fefnir. Have some patience."

He groaned. "Thirty minutes?!"

"Yes." Zero fiddled with some switch on his saber. "I suggest if you want to pass the time, you find something to entertain yourself."

_That little… _Fefnir hefted one of his guns. With a spin he aimed it right at Zero. "Does shooting you count as entertainment?"

Zero didn't even bother to look at him. "It doesn't matter what you do to me. I'm nothing now."

Fefnir clenched his fist. _Oh, he's so… I've had enough! _"Do you want me to shoot you, Zero?! Because I'd be plenty happy doing it!"

Apparently the Reploid had run out of patience. With cold precision Zero turned around. One quick look at his icy glare caused Fefnir to lower his weapon. Zero dropped his saber and held up his hands. "You want to shoot me. Shoot me."

Fefnir leveled his flame gun at the Reploid. _Don't be irrational. It'll lead to your death. _He sighed. Harpuia's words, so long ago, still haunted him. Now they had saved Zero's life. He released his grip on the gun's trigger and let his arm fall to his side.

The Reploid shrugged and lowered his arms. "You can't kill someone who's already dead, Fefnir. Though you can try." Zero walked over to his saber. With a single deft move, he plucked it from the ground, flipped it around, and latched it to his belt. "Besides, if you kill me, how will get to Raven? You need me, Fefnir. Like I need you. I can't take him alone."

_Bet he could. _Fefnir plopped down on the ground. "Fine, whatever. You win. I'll wait." He placed his weapon on the dirt next to him. "But I'm watching you, Zero. You better not let me down."

The Reploid smirked. "I won't." He turned his back to Fefnir. "I never have, right?"

--

Sarn opened the tent flap. The inside was dark, save for the glow of moonlight from above. He peered into the enveloping shadow. "Neige? Are you awake?"

Silence. Sarn shook his head. _What are you doing, talking to her in the middle of night like this? It's crazy, it's dumb, it's absurd… She's asleep. Go, Sarn._

Rustling came from the darkness. Sarn clenched his fist. _I can't just leave without saying good-bye. _

He cleared his throat. "Neige, I just…" The words came out in a whisper. He coughed. "I just wanted to say that, uh, I have to go. They're calling all the soldiers to a part of the camp." He chuckled. "Lucky I learned how to shoot a gun back then, huh?"

More silence. He took a deep breath. _Come on, Sarn, say it. _"Neige, the thing is… About you and me…" He stopped himself. "I'm delaying. The other day, I was upset. I wouldn't tell you why. Well, Neige, the reason I was so upset was that I, I had this dream. I know dreams don't usually come true, in fact, none of mine have, but this one was different." He fought back the tears threatening to come. "It felt so real… We were on a battlefield, together. You were trapped… I couldn't get to you, Neige. I was trying, and… then Zero came. He came, and he raised your sword, and…" His voice caught. "You…" _How can I say it? I can't say it. I just can't. _"You'll be fine. I know it. You're safe here. Even if something goes wrong, you can always escape, mount a resistance. The world will be fine as long as you're alive, Neige." Sarn took a step back. "What I wanted to say was… Good-bye. Good-bye, Neige. I hope to see you again." He turned to face the tent opening. "Bye."

Just as he was about to leave, he froze. Someone was crying. He glanced back over his shoulder at the bundle of blankets on the floor. "Neige?"

He could just make out her red hair in the dim light of the moon. She sniffed. "Good-bye, Sarn." She moved her face towards him. He could see the tears on her cheeks. "I love you."

His voice caught again. What could he say? What could he say to her, the woman whom he loved? He took a deep breath and composed himself. _It has to be said. I can't go into battle without… _He turned all the way back around, so that he was staring at Neige's face. He smiled, sadly, but at the same time, at peace. "I love you too, Neige. Good-bye." With those words, he spun and strode out of her tent. Tears fell freely from his eyes onto the ground. He didn't care.

_She knows I love her. _His grin grew wider. _And she loves me._

_If I wasn't about to die, this would be the happiest day of my life._

--

Bacar secured the loading door's lock. He surveyed the seven Reploids seated in the shuttle's cramped cabin. Eight, including himself. Six soldiers, two generals. Oh, and the pilot. That made nine.

X took a deep breath. "You might be wondering why we selected you for this task. Why we only took six Reploids, and why we decided on you."

Bacar exchanged glances with Mark. Where was the Reploid Commander going with this?

X rotated, looking each Reploid in the eyes, one after the other. "You are six of the best Reploids left. You are loyal, you are sacrificial. That is why we chose you. Because we are about to ask from you the greatest act of loyalty, the greatest sacrifice any Reploid could give." The Reploid paused for a moment. He then continued. "We are going to the capital building. You've all been given schematics of the structure's layout. Our mission is to get to the chief government suite. No doubt the place will be crawling with enemy guards. But we have to get to the suite." He sighed. "Getting there will probably cost all of you your lives."

Bacar nodded, along with the rest of the Reploid soldiers. The words didn't come as a shock, at least to him. _I was spared in our last battle for a reason. If that reason is to die saving the world, then so be it. _He knew that death would one day come. Now he could go down fighting.

If X was surprised by the apparent lack of alarm from the soldiers, he showed no sign of it. The commander continued with his speech. "I'm going to give you the chance to walk away. If you want, you can leave. You didn't choose to go on this mission; you should not be sent to your death against your will. Of course, I don't know the odds of survival in the main battle, but they're most likely greater than if you come with us. If you want to go, leave now."

None of the Reploids even budged. X scanned over them one last time. "Very well. Now we leave." He got up from his seat and moved to the cockpit. Bacar strained to make out the words of their conversation.

"Pilot, we're ready for take-off."

"Understood. Everything's checked and ready to go, sir."

"Good." A short pause. "And I want you to send a communication to Commander Neige."

"And what would that be, sir?"

"Tell her to open fire."

_Over and Out_


	18. Opening Volley

_Chapter 18 is finally here. I apologize for the long delay between updating. I've planned out the story to the end, but writing it is becoming somewhat of a challenge (though less difficult than going forward with no plot, I'm sure.) This chapter is supposed to signal the beginning of the battle. It's not really that long, but I have been working on Chapter 19, which so far is around 2800 words. Probably one of the main reasons it's taking me so long to write it. Still, hopefully I'll be able to get the story better as it comes to a close. _

_As a side note, if you notice any inconsistencies with the Mega Man Zero/Mega Man X universe, please tell me in a review. I'm not perfect, and seeing as how I 1) haven't played the games in a while and 2) and not especially well-versed in Mega Man lore, I might mess some things up. You can notify me if I make some huge mistake while writing one of the characters as well if you want to. Also, I'd like to admit that I've made a mistake involving the Zero/Ciel relationship. I always believed Ciel to be in her 20s, when, apparently, she's actually still a teenager. This may make some people believe that I'm making Zero a pedophile, which I apologize for as that was in no way my intention. I'm trying to rework some things about their relationship, and I might end up going back and editing some of the earlier chapters to reflect this change. I also apologize if the Neige/Sarn romance isn't really that great; I don't think I'm doing a great job writing Neige or Sarn. Ah well. _

_Sorry for the long intro, and without further ado, here is Chapter 18._

Neige took a deep breath. _Alright, come on, Neige. Calm down. You can do this. You're only sending the last remnants of the Reploid and humans armies to their deaths. _

She turned to one of the seven Reploids situated in the command tent with her. "Captain Folgo?"

The Reploid looked up at her. "Yes, Commander Neige?"

"Give the order."

The soldier nodded. He grabbed the radio's input and moved to his mouth. After a quick glance around at the soldiers in the command center, he pressed down the talk button. "Subzero, this is Touch Base, do you copy, over?"

They waited for a moment, listening to the static. Then a voice came over the other end.

_"Touch Base, this is Subzero, we read you loud and clear. Over."_

Folgo paused for a moment before proceeding. "Subzero, this is Touch Base. Execute Order Five-Eight-Three. Courtesy of the Blue Reploid. Over.

_"We read you, Touch Base. Standing by for the ignition code. Over."_

Folgo looked back at Neige. She nodded. "Give the command."

The Reploid captain clicked the radio on. "Subzero, this is Touch Base. Harpuia wants revenge. Over."

_"Copy that. Revenge in progress. Over."_

All eyes fixated on the screen hanging on the tent's north wall. The radar showed the tanks rolling into position. Neige crossed her fingers. _Hope this works._

A distant bang reached their ears. Folgo clenched his fist. "Yes." The radio crackled to life.

_"This is Subzero. Operation Harpuia's Revenge has been initiated. Direct hit on the defense tower, south side. Over."_

Folgo activated the radio. "Touch Base reads you, Subzero. Fire at will."

Neige watched the screen as the row of tanks blasted at the capital building's defenses. _And so it begins._

--

Fefnir stared at the caterpillar crawling across the ground. At least, it appeared to be crawling. He could barely tell if the miniscule creature was even moving, at the rate it was going. _Why does everything have to be so slow?_ For about the fiftieth time he looked back towards the cliff Zero had scaled. _He said he wanted to get a view of the battle. But what if he's doing something else? Can I really trust him?  
_Just then Zero appeared, his saber illuminating the night's darkness. "They've attacked. We're going."

Fefnir grinned. "Finally.

Zero glanced around the devastated site of Area Zero. "Wanna leave, Fefnir? I bet if you hurry you can go and die with your friends on the battlefield."

"Are you trying to make me angry?

"Maybe." He pressed a device on his wrist. "And off we go."

With that, the two were whisked away, heading towards the destiny that awaited them.

--

Sarn tucked the rifle closer to his chest. In his late teen years he had learned to use a gun, just as something to do. Now the ability to use the weapon could end his life.

He took a deep breath. _It's all right, Sarn. The tanks are going to be blasting away at the defenses anyway. We're the last resort. _He swallowed the acid rising in his throat. _Maybe if we're lucky, we won't see any action at all. _

Darkness filled the air like a disease. Sarn could barely make out anything in the moonlight. The only time he got a good view of his fellow soldiers was during the artillery fire that flashed through the sky every few minutes. He had been stationed with the other human troopers near the base of the canyon, waiting for the Maverick response. The main Reploid wave stood in front, with the humans waiting next. A few lucky humans and Reploids, mostly those who couldn't fight, got to stay behind.

Sadly, Sarn wasn't one of those.

He looked off to the distance, where he supposed the capital building to be located. Had he taken the time to study the geography around the structure, he might have been able to locate it. But for the moment he had nothing to go on, aside from the direction of the tank fire.

_I wonder why they even built a government building in a place like this. Maybe they thought it would make it easier to defend or something. _

Another cannon blasted away. It seemed to him that the tanks' shots had been increasing in frequency. Soon another fired. And another.

Sarn managed to tune out the noise to some extent. His thoughts soon drifted to Neige. Would he ever see her again? _Only if I survive. And that's a big if._

The crowd of people around him bristled. Sarn glanced from side to side. What startled everyone?

He heard a voice shout over the noise of the tanks. "I just got word from Command! It looks like the Mavericks are mobilizing! They're heading for us!"

Sarn tightened the grip on his weapon. _Well, this is it, Sarn. Guess it ends here._

_But it won't end without a fight. _

--

Fefnir opened his eyes.

Darkness surrounded him. He could barely make out Zero's shape. He groaned. "Great. Zero, did you have to teleport us _here_?"

"Sorry." The Reploid moved out of Fefnir's sight. After a few moments Fefnir heard a loud _click_and the lights came on.

"Strange. I thought I left these lights on." Zero shrugged. "That doesn't matter. We're going on."

Fefnir surveyed the room Zero had transported them to. Various boxes and crates dotted the chamber. A dank odor hung over the place like a veil. Fefnir coughed. "What's that smell?

"Mold. This is the old storehouse. I doubt there's anybody down here these days." Zero motioned at a door positioned at the end of the room. "That's our way out. They'll know if we take the elevators, so we'll be using the stairs instead. Hope you don't mind."

Fefnir rolled his eyes. "No, I don't." _What's with him? He's actually acting… cheerful. _

Zero crossed over to the doorway. "It's one of the old fashioned doors. This'll just take a second." With a flick of saber he chopped through the hinges, causing the door to slowly fall to the ground.

Fefnir joined the Reploid by the exit. He looked over the fallen door. "Was that really necessary?"

"Uh… yeah." Zero exited the room. "Sorry if I'm a bit talkative. I guess I'm glad to have another Reploid to talk to.

Fefnir followed the Reploid onto a stairway. "You sure weren't talkative before we reached the base."

Zero halted. Fefnir chuckled. "Did I touch a nerve?"

Zero held up a hand. "Hold on." He drew his saber. "Someone's coming.

Fefnir peered upward. Metal stairs led up as far as he could see. If he listened closely he could make out a _rat-tat-tat _sound coming from above. He turned to Zero. "I thought you said no one knew about these stairs."

"No one should. Even Raven…" He paused. "Hold on. The noise stopped."

"Surprise, Reploids!"

A spider-like mechanical creature dropped down on them. Fefnir barely rolled out of the way in time. He slammed into the wall.

When he looked up the mechanical creature had pinned Zero against the stairs. _Why did we have to run into a Maverick now?! _Fefnir whipped out one of his flame launchers and blasted the foe.

The Maverick recoiled. A web shot from its mouth, attaching to the ceiling, and with a quick zip it ascended to the top of the stairs.

Zero readied his saber. "Aracho. Why is he here?"

"You're supposed to be the one with the plan." Fefnir stared upwards. The Maverick didn't show himself. He took a deep breath. "Guess we have a Maverick to fight."

"Yeah." Zero nodded. "I guess so."

Fefnir smirked. "Let the fun begin."

_Over and Out_


	19. For Every Action

_Welcome to Chapter 19, everyone. I'm really sorry for how long it's taken me to update this story. You really don't deserve the slow unreeling of chapters, but, sadly, my life is busy right now and that's just the way it is. I don't expect to have chapter 20 up any time soon; I won't be posting anything in November. Still, I want to finish this story, and will try hard to once November has passed. So, here is Chapter 19, and please, enjoy._

Bacar clutched his rifle to his chest. Shadows stretched across the shuttle's cabin, allowing him to barely glimpse faint outlines of his fellow passengers. X had commanded that the majority of the power systems be shut off to augment the shuttle's cloaking power. What that meant was no lights. The shuttle's cabin window had also been closed. Only the increased intensity of the shuttle's rumbling gave Bacar a clue that they were nearing their destination.

Silence hung over the cabin like a cloak. Above the rumbling Bacar could discern the steady breaths of his fellow soldiers. That was it. Occasionally X would turn to Leviathan and mutter something, but these conversations rarely lasted more than a few seconds.

The rumbling grew louder, like a beast's growling. Bacar took a deep breath, attempting to calm his nerves. _It's going to end, Bacar. Even if you die, X and Leviathan will take Raven down. Then this war will end. _

A new thought entered his mind, one he had not anticipated, nor prepared for. _But what if you do survive? What happens then? Will the humans again treat Reploids as servants? Not like they ever changed before. They called it a fair government. Please! We Reploids were a disgrace to them. They treated us soldiers like dirt. And what will happen then? Will X leave? Now that Ciel is dead, which human will represent us on the Council? Neige said she doesn't want to get into politics… _

He shook his head._ This isn't the time to think about that. You have to focus on the mission. That's your only concern. _

All throughout training he'd suffered from the problem of not being able to focus. His concentration skills improved once he began to enter combat, but he still managed to find himself distracted every now and then. And there was plenty to be distracted by on this mission.

He closed his eyes._Focus. The mission. _He went through the list of possible enemies they would encounter at the base. _Hoppers… Crab-shaped mechanical. Primary mode of attack: Leg spikes. Ranged mode of attack: Head cannon. Speed: Fast. Armor hull: Weak. Threat Level: Low._

_Let's see… What's next…? Oh yeah. X-Soldiers… Reploid-shaped mechanical. Primary mode of attack: Arm Cannon. Alternate mode of attack: None. Speed: Average. Armor Hull: Semi-weak. Threat Level: Medium-low._

He continued the process through each other enemies, even individual Mavericks which Raven would recall to be on guard. When he reached the last adversary on the list, he paused.

_Zero… Reploid-turned-Maverick. Primary mode of attack: Z Saber. Alternate mode of attack: Z Buster. Speed: Fast. Armor Hull: Strong. Threat Level: High. _

He bowed his head. _Zero… What could make you do that? Why did you abandon us? Why?_

The sound of footsteps caused him to look up. X had gotten to his feet and was now making his way to the cockpit. As the Reploid passed, Bacar stared at him, admiring his calm in the situation.

_How does he do it?_Bacar wondered as X disappeared from view. _He's always so calm… Even though he _knows_ he's probably sending us to our deaths. He doesn't show it. How? He's a lot like Zero, but less intense. Maybe he just wants to set a good example for his soldiers._

The sounds of hushed conversation drifted in from the cockpit. A new thought entered Bacar's mind. _What does X think of this? His best friend, his fellow soldier for over a hundred years, betrayed him. X was probably off somewhere, very peaceful… But then Zero changed all of that. _

Again, the sound of footsteps tore him from his thoughts. X had re-entered the cabin, standing in the entryway to the cockpit. He surveyed the Reploid soldiers. Bacar studied X's face. Incredibly, he was still calm.

"ETA is in fifteen minutes." X's voice barely rose above of a whisper, but Bacar could still hear every world clearly. "Good luck, everyone. Remember, if we run into Zero, Leviathan and I are in front. Against everything else, you take lead." He crossed over to his seat. Every eye in the cabin remained fixed on him. His body relaxed as he sat down in his seat. He smiled. Bacar now had to strain to hear what he said.

"We're going to win today, soldiers. Trust me. We are going to win."

Bacar nodded.

_I just hope you're right._

--

"Reploids, assemble!"

Sarn cradled his rifle against his body. His earlier feelings of dread had given way to full-fledged terror. Even now it took all of his will-power to keep his knees from shaking. Sweat poured down his face. Some of it leaked into his eyes, blurring his vision.

_Blast it all…_Frustrated, he wiped the perspiration from his eyes. _Why am I so scared? I wasn't like this even when all the Mavericks attacked…_

_Because you didn't know you were going to die._

Tired of thinking apocalyptic thoughts, Raven turned his attention to the soldiers around him. Like the other humans, he'd been set back in the lines, behind the main group of Reploids. Already the mechanical soldiers had readied their weapons. _I hope they have night vision, or they'll have no luck fighting those Mavericks._

The tank fire had increased in frequency and fervor. In the flashes of light from the artillery rounds allowed Sarn glimpses of a large dust cloud approaching the Reploid lines. As the cloud grew larger and larger, so did his fear.

The only way he could find to calm himself was to think of Neige. She had said she loved him, and though he doubted he would see her again, at least now he knew that his feelings were returned. With her in his mind he could mold his panic into a shaky resolve. _I'm doing this for her. For the future. _

_**BOOM! **_A deafening roar filled the air, followed by a wave of heat and light that blew over Sarn, sending him to the ground. His face hit the dirt. After a few moments of lying on the ground, he jumped to his feet, only to see that a section of the Reploid line had been blown apart, leaving a single smoldering crater in its place.

_"The enemy is returning fire! I repeat, the enemy is returning fire!"_

Sarn shouldered his rifle. Even though his hands were shaking, he could feeling his confidence building, becoming a wall against his fear.

_Let's go, Sarn. This is for Neige!_

--

_Clang. Clang. Clang._

The distinctive metal clanging sound flooded Fefnir's ears. He groaned. "Where is that stupid spider?"

Zero held up a hand. "Listen. When it grows louder, he's getting closer. I thought you, of all Reploids, would realize that."

Fefnir, ignoring Zero's last comment, grudgingly obeyed the Reploid's advice. _I don't know why the heck we're using this staircase… _He glanced over at Zero. _And _he _said it would be empty. Uh-huh. It sure is empty._

More clanging reached his ears. Now it came in patterns. Four clangs, pause, four clangs, pause. Then four clangs increased to eight clangs.

Fefnir sighed. "I guess I never mentioned that I hate spiders, huh?"  
"You might have said something about it. Probably when I wasn't paying attention."

Out of nowhere, the spider Maverick dropped down from above. Fefnir rolled aside, narrowly avoiding four the mechanical monster's eight legs. The Maverick, or Aracho, as Zero called, shot a web towards the ceiling and retracted itself. As it did, however, its fangs began to glow.

Fefnir gulped. "Uh, Zero… What's that?"

"Its cannon." Zero whipped out his shield boomerang. "Just don't let it hit you."

Before Fefnir could ask why, Aracho fired several green blobs of something at the two Reploids. Fefnir managed to hug the wall and dodge the shots. He was very glad he did. Aracho's projectiles splatted, for lack of a better word, against the staircase. In a matter of seconds they had formed into a steaming ooze that melted straight through the metal stairs.

Fefnir nodded. "Oh. That's why."

He fixed his dual flame guns on Aracho's last position. The spider had vanished into the darkness of the higher levels. Fefnir spared a glance at Zero. "Got a plan?"

Without saying a word, Zero leapt upwards towards the higher staircase. It seemed to Fefnir that he was going to fall, but at the last second he grabbed hold of the railing. With a deft turn of his wrists Zero flipped himself up onto the stairs. For a few seconds Fefnir pondered the Reploid's actions, but then it dawned on him. _He's going to lure Aracho down to me._

Fefnir watched as Zero hurried up the stairs, taking them two at a time. The Reploid had his saber in hand and that same "I'm determined and can't lose my focus" face that Fefnir had seen far too many times.

Zero had climbed three flights of steps before Aracho showed himself again. The Maverick appeared from the shadows, almost free-falling down from the ceiling. He fired a few quick bursts of cannon at Zero, who managed to dodge them just in time. Fefnir fired his launchers, releasing two large flame spheres. However, both shots missed the spider, instead sailing a few feet over it.

Aracho looked at him and cackled. "You fool. You missed."

Fefnir grinned. "I wasn't aiming for you."

He nodded at Aracho's strand of web. The flame projectiles had hit it instead, setting the entire string on fire. The Maverick shrieked in surprise and detached itself from its web. However, as it did this, Zero leapt from the other side of the steps. He landed on Aracho, grabbing to the spider with his one hand, his saber in the other. The two plunged downwards, down towards the bottom of the steps.

Fefnir watched them fall. The two were tangled together so much it was hard to tell one from the other. Fefnir thought he saw a flash of green, signifying Zero's saber, but he couldn't be sure. Then they passed into the darkness that covered the bottom of the stairs.

Fefnir heard a loud_thud_, and, a few seconds later, clanging sounds from below. Even though he was more than certain that Zero had won the battle, Fefnir held his guns at the ready, just in case. The clanging grew louder, until Fefnir could finally see the figure moving up the stairs. He eased up on his launchers. _Good job, Zero, _he thought as he watched the red Reploid climb the steps. _You got rid of him._

A little bit later Zero joined him midway up the stairs. He nodded at Fefnir. "Got rid of him."

"Yeah." Fefnir shrugged. "Of course, I would have done it faster. But I'm just better than you."

"Of course." Zero nodded upwards. "Come on. We still have Raven."

The two resumed the trek up the stairs. Fefnir smirked. "Maybe this time I'll be able to get the kill."

"Yeah." Zero avoided Fefnir's eye as they moved forward. "Maybe."

--

"Down!"

Bacar ducked right before an energy blast zoomed over his head, much too close for comfort. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a blue blur pass by. A second later Leviathan had reached the Maverick soldiers. Bacar watched in awe as she twirled her spear through the air, defeating the mechanical enemies with ease.

"Bacar! Over here!"

Bacar glanced over his shoulder. Mark and another one of the Reploid soldiers had managed to convert a broken door into a makeshift barrier. Crouched beneath the crossfire, Bacar hurried over to the barricade.

He reached it to find Mark, who had a huge gash in his left arm, and the other soldier returning fire at the Mavericks. Bacar made sure his rifle had a full clip before joining them in the attack.

They had entered the building all right. It wasn't until the second level that they even encountered resistance. A squad of large, four-armed Mavericks brandishing energy cannons had been waiting for them. Already two of the Reploid soldiers had been lost, and X had been forced to send Leviathan into the thick of fighting.

Bacar laid down some extra fire as one of the Mavericks approached their position. The mechanical monster fixed its dual guns on them. But before it could shoot, a large ball of energy smacked into it, sending it to the ground.

Bacar turned around to see X aiming his buster at the enemies. Their General had stayed near the back of the group for the majority of the battle, but was now heading into the front lines. Even in the cramped space of the hallway in which they were fighting, X managed to pick off the Mavericks with cold precision, while still managing not to get hit.

Bacar fired a cluster of bullets into a smaller Maverick, which went on to collide with the wall and collapse on the carpeted floor. He scanned the hall. The crowd of Mavericks had thinned down. He grinned. _Finally, the tide turns in our favor._

Then he heard a faint _whoosh_ from behind him. He whirled around only to be confronted with a horrible sight: Mark and the other soldier were lying on the ground, slash marks through their stomachs. He glanced around hurriedly, searching for their killer.

"Soldiers, get down!"

Just seconds after X yelled, Bacar heard another _whoosh_ and watched, in horror, as the last Reploid soldier fell to his knees, a slash through his chest. Bacar dropped to the ground. Seconds later a noise similar to static reached his ears. He looked up. X had pulled out his saber and was now locked in combat with a black-cloaked Reploid, who was wielding two blades. Bacar, still prone on the ground, swiveled his rifle forward and shot at the enemy Reploid. But before the bullets reached him, he vanished into thin air.

X suddenly dove onto the floor. Yet another _whoosh_ followed, and a blade passed inches from X's face. X grabbed onto the blade and pulled. Again the static-like noise filled the hall, and the black-cloaked Reploid appeared again, falling on top of X. Bacar finally understood.

_He has a cloaking device._

He leapt to his feet and then immediately flattened himself against the wall to avoid the blades of the black-cloaked Reploid, who had also managed to get off the ground. X fired from his buster at the enemy, but he missed.

Bacar had heard rumors of Ninja-Reploids, secret bodyguards with the ability to cloak themselves. _I didn't know Raven had one of these._ He moved out of the way as X and the Ninja-Reploid clashed swords again. _And judging by the look on X's face, I don't think he knew either._

X directed a kick at the enemy's face. The Ninja-Reploid caught his foot and spun him around, causing X's face to slam into the floor. Bacar quickly checked his rifle's clip. Half-full.

The enemy Reploid had his blades raised above X. Bacar let loose on the Ninja-Reploid, burying him in automatic fire. Just as Bacar's gun launched its last remaining bullet, X dove in, pummeling the Ninja-Reploid with his saber. At long last the enemy fell to his knees and collapsed.

X kicked the Ninja-Reploid's body. "Dead." He glanced up the hall at the corpses of the Reploid soldiers, and then brought his gaze to Bacar. "Are they all dead?"

Bacar looked away, unable to bring himself to answer. _We were expected to die here… So why do I feel so bad about it?_

Leviathan jogged up to them. "I managed to clear the hall." Her eyes moved towards the Ninja-Reploid body on the floor. "What was that?"

"Ninja-Reploid." X knelt down next to it and inserted his hand into a saber hole in the Reploid's back. After several seconds of rummaging around he withdrew a square device. "Cloaking device. I remember that these were prototypes during the Maverick Wars. After the war they were deemed dangerous and exiled." He let go of the device. It fell to the floor and then split apart on impact. "Wouldn't have taken much from Raven to convince them to join his cause."

"What happened to the other Reploid soldiers?" Leviathan asked as she sheathed her spear on her back.

Bacar loaded a fresh clip into his rifle as X answered, all the while having his eyes focused on the floor.

"They're dead. The Ninja-Reploid got the rest of them."

Bacar shook his head, not at X's words, but at his own grief. _We're supposed to die here. I can't feel like this. I'm just going to get in the way._

"Bacar."

He glanced up. X and Leviathan were both staring at him. X reached out and put a hand on the soldier's shoulder. "We'll take front the rest of the way. You stay behind and give us support."

Bacar looked at the Reploid's hand on his shoulder. He let himself give a small smile. "Yes, sir, X."

"Alright." X removed his hand. "Be careful; it might get even tougher on the way there. Remember, if we run into Zero, I'll take him." He turned his back to them and began striding up the hall. "Follow me."

Bacar fell into place behind Leviathan as the three Reploids headed towards the end of the corridor. He forced himself to keep his eyes fixed straight ahead and avoid glancing at the corpses of his fellow soldiers. _Stay focused. _He cradled his rifle with his arms. _Just stay focused._

--

"We're here."

Fefnir glanced at Zero. The Reploid had stopped in front of a large set of double doors. Fefnir turned to the entryway. "So this is the entrance to Raven's chamber?"

"Yes." Zero nodded to a control panel on the wall. "That panel will open it. Make sure you have your guns ready."

Fefnir drew his weapons. The anticipation of the moment caused his hands to shake. "Zero, are we actually doing this? Are we actually going to kill Raven?"

Zero avoided Fefnir's eyes as he crossed over to the door's control panel. "Yes, Fefnir. We are going to kill him." He pressed a green button. "Get ready."

The doors slid open. Zero dashed into the room, faster than Fefnir had expected. He reached the desk at the end of chamber in a matter of seconds. The desk's chair had its back to them. Zero grabbed it and spun it around.

Raven was sitting there. "Zero? I didn't expe—"

Zero lifted Raven by the scruff of the neck right out of his chair. "It's over,_Master_!" Zero threw the human into the wall behind the desk. Fefnir heard a crack. Raven slid to the ground, blood trickling out of his mouth.

"Zero!" Fefnir hurried over to the Reploid. "What are you—?"

"I said we were killing him, didn't I?!" Zero leapt over to Raven's slumped form. "Get up! GET UP!"

"Zero!" Fefnir stared at him, bewildered. "How… What…"

Zero looked into Fefnir's eyes, his face contorted in rage. "I'm finishing this, Fefnir! Finishing it for good!"

"But Zero—"

Zero again got his hand on Raven's collar. He yanked the human into the air and held him there, two feet above the ground. Fefnir opened his mouth to yell something at Zero, something to stop him from brutally killing the man—

And then Zero gently set Raven down.

Fefnir froze. His mouth hung open. Thoughts cascaded in his mind, too many to translate into words. _What—He—No—Zero—_

A grin slowly spread over Raven's features. "Excellent work, Zero. I am very pleased."

Zero nodded. "All for you, Orchestrater."

Fefnir reacted before he thought. He dropped his gun and slammed his fist into Zero's stomach, causing the Reploid to double over. With fury coursing through every part of his body he grabbed Zero and slammed him with all of his might into the nearby wall.

"YOU LIAR!" Fefnir kept the Reploid pinned against the wall as he laid punch after punch into him. "YOU LIAR!"

Zero suddenly reached out and grabbed Fefnir's fist, stopping it in mid-air. With a simple flick of his wrist Zero tossed him halfway across the room. Fefnir hit the carpeted floor hard and skidded a few feet before coming to a stop.

He leapt to his feet. Zero was standing on Raven's desk with Fefnir's guns in his hands. Before Fefnir could say anything, the Reploid brought his fingers together, smashing the dual flame launchers into junk.

Fefnir stared at Zero, in shock from what had just happened. He should have seen it coming. Zero had nothing to gain from helping him kill Raven. How could he have trusted him? How?

The quiet sound of clapping reached his ears. Raven had seated himself back down in his chair, and was applauding politely. "Well done, Zero." He smiled. "His use has run out. Finish him."

With a flourish Zero tossed the useless remains of Fefnir's weapons aside. He drew his saber out and gripped it tightly with both hands. "With pleasure." And with that, he jumped.


	20. There Is a Reaction

_Note: This is a fixed version of Chapter 20. In the original chapter, Sarn's name was written as "Sare." *facepalm* This is now fixed. I'm very, very sorry for this mistake; it was completely my fault and a result of my not paying attention. However, it's fixed now, so, enjoy._

"Don't defy me, Fefnir."

The tip of the blade neared Fefnir's throat. He struggled, but Zero had his left foot planted on Fefnir's chest, securely pinning the Reploid to the ground. The saber crackled as it came closer and closer to its target.

_I can't die yet! _"NOT YET!" Fefnir summoned all of his might and rolled to his left. The move sent Zero tumbling in the same direction, eventually coming to rest against the chamber's left wall. Realizing that he had finally bought himself some time, Fefnir leapt back to his feet and scrambled towards the a broken piece of Raven's desk. He had just managed to pick the wooden plank up when he heard a roar. A few seconds later Zero came charging towards him. Fefnir sidestepped him at the last second, causing the Reploid to fly past and have to put his hand on the floor to stop himself. Fefnir glanced at the wood in his hand. Zero's saber would most likely chop through it like air. But he had to have something to fight the Reploid with.

They had been at this for ten minutes. _No, more than ten minutes, _Fefnir corrected himself as he dodged another strike from Zero. _Fifteen at least. _

He held up his piece of wood as Zero slashed again, and, just as he had predicted, Zero's saber chopped it in two without the slightest hesitation. But Fefnir managed to jam the broken wood still in his hand into Zero's stomach; the move caught the Reploid off guard, and Fefnir took advantage of the moment by delivering a punch to Zero's face with his free left hand.

Zero took a few steps back in an attempt to recover, but Fefnir got to him before he could so much as raise his saber. Punch after punch slammed into Zero's already dented armor plating. Fefnir then let up on the punching and tried to land a kick to Zero's chest, but the Reploid caught Fefnir's foot before impact. Zero spun Fefnir around, sending him face-first into the ground.

Fefnir scramble away on all fours, searching the room frantically for some sort of weapon. Before he could even get a few feet away Zero planted a foot right on his back. Fefnir felt the armor plating begin to crack under the pressure.

"You're dead, Fefnir." Zero's came to rest next to Fefnir's neck. "I don't think that even you can deny that."

"You can't kill a Reploid who's already dead!" Fefnir twisted himself to the right, throwing Zero off-balance and causing him to have to pause for a few seconds to regain his footing. Those few seconds turned out to be too many, as Fefnir slipped out from under Zero's boot and started running towards the exit elevator.

He had almost reached it when Zero landed in front of him, swinging his saber. Fefnir ducked and then charged into Zero, sending them both toward the wall. With a mighty grunt Fefnir smashed Zero into the elevator door. The force of the blow caused Zero to go right through the metal.

When Zero did not immediately move, Fefnir peeked through the Reploid-sized hole now in the metal door. His first hope was that Zero had fallen down the entire elevator shaft; however, the Reploid had simply fallen onto the empty elevator's floor. Fefnir let out a held breath as Zero remained motionless. The blow had managed to knock the Reploid out of combat for at least a little while.

Seizing his chance, Fefnir made his way towards the room's other exit, the door that he and Zero had entered the room with. As he pressed the button to open the door, he heard a gun click.

"You don't think you're getting away, do you?"

Fefnir tensed. He heard a sharp chuckle behind him.

"I'm sure X will be quite saddened by the loss of another Guardian. Too bad it can't be helped."

Fefnir clenched his fist. "Don't believe that you can kill me that easily, Raven."

"Why?" The gun pressed into Fefnir's metal back. "You think you can beat me?"

"Actually…" Fefnir dropped down and delivered a spin kick to Raven's shins. The strike caused Raven to cry out in pain and surprise. Fefnir snatched the gun from the man's hand and then caught him before he hit the ground. He pressed the pistol to Raven's throat. "I really think that I can beat you, Raven." He put his finger on the trigger. "And I think that we're about to see that happen."

--

_"This is Captain Lise. Mavericks have descended on the front line. We are engaging the enemy, over."_

"Understood, Captain. Move forces to protect the artillery; we need them to continue the bombardment of the fortress' defenses, over."

_"Acknowledged, Captain. Lise out."_

Neige heard something hit the table. She glanced over to see Captain Folgo's radio mic in front of her. The Reploid himself stared at her, his hand still on the mic. "Ma'am, that was Captain Lise. The Maverick forces are engaging our front line. The battle's starting."

Neige nodded. She knew this would come. But that didn't make her feel any better.

There was no chance at success, she asserted as she surveyed the tent full of Reploids and humans. Many were bunched over the four holo-displays that dotted the makeshift war room, engrossed in the battle's progress. Neige couldn't see the point of it. The soldiers were just going to die, weren't they? X had marched them to their deaths.

The moment she thought that, Neige felt guilt surge up in her. She couldn't think like that. Not when there were Reploids and humans out there, risking their lives to try and give X and the others a chance.

Not when Sarn was out there.

She bit her lip. Despite her best efforts, she had so far failed to get her mind off him. All she could do was imagine his death at the hands of some vicious Maverick.

The very thought sent chills down her spine.

But she had to hold out hope. There was hope, wasn't there? Hope that X would come through. Hope that X would manage to defeat Raven. Hope that, somehow, they would win.

There was always hope, wasn't there? _That's all we have left, anyway, _she mused as she swiveled in her seat to face one of the holo-displays.

_Hope._

--

"Hope you weren't looking forward to livin', wimp."

Sarn tried to tear himself from the Maverick's grasp, but he couldn't. The tiger-like mechanical monster had pinned him to the ground with one claw. In the other claw the Maverick held Sarn's rifle, now cracked in two. Sarn struggled against his captor's grip, but all he was got for his efforts was a harsh chuckle from the Maverick.

"Don't think you're goin' somewhere, do ya?"

He stared into the mechanical face, shaped like a snarling cat. Mustering up what little courage he had left, he snarled right back. "I'm not the one who's going to lose this fight."

It laughed louder this time. "Wow. You humans really are good for a laugh."

The Maverick picked him up into the air. Now dangling by his feet and hanging upside down, Sarn fought against the sudden acid rising in his throat. The Maverick pulled its free hand back, as if to punch Sarn with it, but before it could, it suddenly let out a yelp. Sarn dropped free and hit the ground with a loud thud. He pushed himself up enough to catch a glimpse of a Reploid soldier darting in front of him. The soldier stabbed a silver blade right into the Maverick's chest, silencing the beast for good.

The Reploid turned to Sarn. "You all right?"

Sarn nodded, still shocked by what had just taken place. The Reploid tossed Sarn a gray pistol. "Come on; more Mavericks are headed this way."

Sarn caught the pistol with his right hand and then surveyed his surroundings. The human-Reploid forces had split into two major groups, one going to the right side of the fortress, the other to the left. Sarn and this Reploid soldier, along with a few others, had managed to get stuck in the middle. While the majority of the Mavericks were engaging the brunt of the human-Reploid forces, a few stragglers had crept into the center and were now approaching Sarn. He readied his pistol, taking aim as the first Mavericks appeared from behind a large dust cloud.

The Reploid soldier who had just saved his life turned to him. "My name's Etro. Who are you?"  
"Sarn."

"Well, nice to meet you, Sarn." Etro raised his blade and faced the oncoming enemies. "Hope to see you after this fight's over, okay?"

Sarn nodded, his pistol still held at the ready. If they survived, that was.

Well, Sarn would do his best to make it through alive, then.

--

Bacar sprinted down the hallway, right behind X and Leviathan. The two stronger Reploids were going so fast that Bacar had trouble keeping up with them. He had slung his rifle over his back in order to run faster. He now had his pistol in his right hand, ready for any more opposition, if there was any.

Bacar was really beginning to hope that there wasn't.

They rounded a corner. As soon as they had entered the new corridor, X stopped and held up his hand. Leviathan and Bacar skidded to a halt behind him.

X placed his left hand on his buster and pointed the weapon down the hall. "We have guests."

Bacar slid his sidearm back into his holster. Leviathan whipped out her staff as Bacar slid his rifle off of its sling. He gripped the gun with both hands, his feet planted firmly on the floor in an unmoving stance.

The three Reploids stayed at the ready for several minutes, silent and motionless. Bacar almost swore he could hear a pin drop as the trio prepared themselves. Then X charged.

Leviathan went right after him, and the two Reploids dashed down the hallway. Bacar followed behind them, and as he jogged down the hall, he finally caught sight of what they were fighting. The Reploid stood at the end of the corridor, his saber drawn and ready. Bacar narrowed his eyes.

Zero.

Then he noticed that there wasn't just one Zero at the end of the hall. There were three, no, _four _Zeroes waiting for them. Bacar was confused for a second, but then he recalled that X had warned them earlier about the possibility of facing Zero clones. _Guess these guys are them._

X halted in the middle of the hallway. He dropped to one knee and began firing his buster at the Zeroes. Bacar watched as one Zero went down, a large, buster shot-shaped hole in his stomach. The other three dodged out of the way of the fire and charged.

Bacar slammed his finger into the trigger of his rifle. Automatic fire filled the hall. The bullets sliced through the air, hitting one of the Zero clones and sending him falling backwards. The other two clones continued their charge.

"Go!" X yelled, dashing to meet the enemies head-on. Leviathan trailed after him, while Bacar stayed back, his finger held firmly on his rifle's trigger. The bullets filled the air as Leviathan and X met the two remaining Zero clones. Bacar stopped firing and watched, awestruck, as Leviathan used her spear to effortlessly slice one clone straight in two. X, meanwhile, engaged the last enemy in a fistfight. The Zero clone stood no chance against the hammering punches of X, and it fell within seconds.

X waved to Bacar. "Come on!" He then turned and sprinted down the hall, with Leviathan once again on his tail. Bacar hurried after them, running full-out to the end of the corridor.

Three more Zero clones came into view just as they approached the hall's end. X lowered his shoulder into the ground and then somersaulted into a firing position. His buster blazed as he mowed down the clones, leaving behind three Reploid shells with a large, smoldering hole in each. Not even stopping for a moment, X came right out of his position back into his run. The three Reploids turned the corner at the end of the hall to see another long hallway, one that ended in a large set of double doors. X pointed forward as he continued to sprint. "That's the elevator! We're almost there!"

Bacar nodded as he kept pace with the other two Reploids. They were almost there.

It was almost over.

--

A sly grin crept over Fefnir's lips. "See ya, Raven."

He pulled the trigger of the gun. Nothing happened. Fefnir stared at the gun, his mouth open. "No… No… It's empty?!"

Raven chuckled. "Seems I'm not fated to die today, Captain Fefnir."

"It doesn't matter anyway!" Fefnir tossed the gun aside. "I'll just kill you with my fists, if that's what it takes!"

"Too bad it's not gonna work out like that."

A red blur slammed into Fefnir, knocking him to the ground. He instinctively rolled to his right as the flash of a saber whizzed through the air. Zero stabbed the floor right next to his arm, creating cracks in the vacuumed carpet. Fefnir spun himself around and kicked out Zero's feet. The Reploid fell, dropping his saber in the process. Fefnir leapt to a standing position and caught Zero as he went down. "Have a nice flight." With a grunt he heaved the Reploid into the nearby wall, sending bits of bricks and plaster flying everywhere.

While Zero recovered, Fefnir scooped the abandoned Z Saber off the floor. He wasn't much good with swords, but he would much rather have the blade be in his hands than Zero's. He glanced at Raven, who was still lying on the ground. If he could distract Zero long enough to get a shot at the man…

Before he could finish the thought, Zero rammed straight into him, sending the saber flying. The two tumbled to the ground, with Zero landing punches the entire way down. Fefnir managed to elbow him in the face, causing the two to separate once again. Zero rolled to the wall until he eventually came to a stop just at its base.

Fefnir raised himself to his hands and knees. As he intended to jump to his feet, though, he found his face about three inches away from the tip of the Z Saber. Following the blade up to its hilt with his eyes, he saw that Raven had picked the sword up and now held it right at Fefnir's nose.

A cruel smile tugged at the man's lips. "It really is a shame that you had to turn out this way, Fefnir. You're a great Reploid."

Fefnir glared at him, a growl building in his throat. "And you're an awful human being."

"Touché, my good Reploid." Raven's grip on the saber tightened. "Now, when you die, remember to say hello to Harpuia for me, okay? He was such a good boy."

Fefnir clenched his fists as anger coursed through his body. "You _used _Harpuia."

"Well, yes, I did. He was a most useful pawn, though." Raven chuckled. "Perfect for carrying out the plan." He shook his head, a frown forming on his face. "Oh, it's so sad that he isn't here to see this. He'd be so proud of how hard you've fought today."

Fefnir shrugged. "Not really. He never was one to compliment me on what I did. But still…" He let out a small chuckle. "I'm sure he would be very pleased to see me take out you."

Before Raven could react, Fefnir had dropped to his stomach and grabbed the man's ankles. With a sharp tug Fefnir brought Raven to the ground. The Saber slid out of the man's hand and skidded across the floor.

Fefnir jumped back to his feet, ready to make a dash for the loose blade, but then he froze. Zero had gotten back up, and he now held the Saber in his hand. The two Reploids stared at each other, Zero with a smirk on his face, Fefnir with a snarl. Zero raised the Saber, adopting his battle-ready pose. Fefnir planted both feet firmly on the ground, preparing to leap into the air and kick Zero in the face. The two stayed in their silent standoff for several seconds, each too tense to make the first move. Then they struck.

Zero flew toward Fefnir, his Saber swiping through the air the entire way. Fefnir leapt, but he leapt higher than the other Reploid, and he managed to clear Zero's head without getting slashing by the dancing blade. He also was able to deliver a kick to Zero's back, knocking the Reploid down to the floor and allowing Fefnir to land a good twenty feet away.

Zero hit the ground, belly-first, with a loud thud, followed by Fefnir, who managed to land on his feet. Before Fefnir could take advantage of Zero's moment of weakness, the latter Reploid had risen to a standing position, his Saber still in his hand.

Fefnir charged, yelling at the top of his lungs. Zero smirked as Fefnir approached. Fefnir pulled back his fist, preparing for a heavy blow. At the last second Zero sidestepped, causing Fefnir to lose his balance and fall down. Fefnir struggled to push himself up, but as he did, Zero's boot pressed itself into his back, pinning him to the ground. Fefnir looked up at Zero. The Reploid shook his head.

"It's really a shame that I have to kill you," Zero remarked, raising his saber. "I'd prefer not to."

Fefnir chuckled. "That's a lie."

"Yeah." Zero's boot dug deeper into Fefnir's back. "Yeah, it is."

--

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Leviathan asked.

"It's not like it has a speed control," X replied.

Leviathan clenched her fist. "Seriously… I just wish this thing would hurry up…"

Bacar nodded in silent agreement. The three of them had been in the elevator for what seemed like an eternity, even though it had probably only been a minute or two. Bacar was starting to get edgy. They were so close to Raven now, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

They heard a loud _ding_, and then the elevator doors swung open. The three Reploids leapt into the Raven's office, weapons at the ready… to realize that there wasn't much of an office yet. Almost every single piece of furniture in the room had been removed from its place on the floor and torn into several chunks. Scraps of debris, from the wall and other places, littered the ground. But the most shocking thing was what rested in the middle of the office: Zero and Fefnir, with the former pinning the latter to the floor with his boot.

Leviathan gasped. "Fefnir!"

Fefnir looked up at her and smiled. "Hey, Leviathan." He sighed. "Sorry I couldn't take care of him for you."

Bacar and X watched, speechless, as Zero raised his saber. Leviathan dashed forward. "Fefnir! NO!"

She was too late. Zero had already brought his blade down by the time she arrived, cutting clean through Fefnir's neck. The Reploid's head hit the ground, rolled, and then came to a stop several feet away.

Leviathan froze, staring at Fefnir's head. Zero shrugged. "He wasn't as strong as I thought he would be. Really… is this what passes for Guardians these days?"

Bacar watched as Leviathan turned to Zero, her fist gripping her spear so tightly that the weapon had begun to crack. "You. Will. Pay."

Zero rolled his eyes. "Please. If Fefnir and Harpuia couldn't defeat me, I seriously doubt that you—"

_**BANG!**_

Zero fell silent. Bacar looked at the Reploid's body. The right side of Zero's abdomen was gone, with a smoldering buster bullet-sized hole in its place. Both Bacar and Zero's eyes moved from the hole to X, who was standing in a firing position, his buster still smoking.

X shook his head. "You're not Zero anymore. I knew Zero." X's buster began to charge. "You're not Zero!"

Zero ducked as X fired a second shot. The bolt missed Zero's head by inches. Bacar readied his own rifle, but before he could shoot, X put a hand on the gun. Bacar looked at the blue Reploid.

X stared back at him, his eyes firm. "This is my battle. I'll fight him alone."

Bacar nodded, understanding X's resolve. He watched as X strode to Leviathan. The female Reploid still had her spear at the ready, but she lowered it when X touched her on the shoulder.

"Leviathan. This is my fight."

"But…"

"This is my fight."

Leviathan stepped back. X faced Zero, who was kneeling on the floor, attempting to recover from X's buster shot. "Zero. You've gone too far."

Zero glared at X. "You think I don't know that?"

"It's time we ended this." X pointed his buster at Zero. "I can't let you continue doing what you're doing."

"Heh. That's just like you, X." Zero rose to his feet with a loud grunt. "Fine. Then we'll fight. I'll win, either way."

"That's not going to happen."

"Oh, but it is, X." Zero raised his saber. "It is."

_^^Over and Out^^_


End file.
